Firefighters are demanding workplace safety protections and changes to staffing after a mission to rescue a drowning man resulted in the death of two colleagues.
00:00A trembling firefighter struggles to staple in addition to this banner listing fallen comrades and the places they died.
00:09The latest name is Wu An Shuo, age 37. Date of death, Tuesday.
00:15The place, a river near Taipei, where his boat flipped while he was trying to rescue a drowning person.
00:22In just a few hours, a second firefighter who was with him will also die, their name to be added another time.
00:29Here outside the cabinet building, firefighters want not just answers, but change.
00:35Ignoring the steady rainfall, they remember Wu.
00:38And they say that after years of protesting issues like workplace safety and training, it's time for officials to listen.
00:51Their first demand? Firefighters should get the same protections most workers enjoy.
00:56As public servants, they're not covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
01:02And they say this makes an already risky job more dangerous.
01:06Demand two, firefighters' training and skills should determine where they're sent.
01:30They say Wu An Shuo was highly qualified, and he still died on duty.
01:36How much more dangerous would his mission have been for someone without his water rescue experience?
01:41There are some people, like N-Suo, who are a high-riskæ•‘è·å“¡.
01:45In the case of a high-riskæ•‘è·å“¡, they can provide a very high-quality treatment for patients.
01:50There are some people who are using firestorms, and other people who are using firestorms, and other people who are using firestorms, and other people who are using firestorms.
01:54They say Wu himself spent much of his time campaigning for exactly these kinds of reforms,
02:17especially since 2023, when a factory explosion killed four firefighters.
02:22Besides giving their demands, they want the government to explain why their safety concerns remain unresolved two years on.
02:32A cabinet official, flanked by police, has this to say.
02:43A glitchy mic cuts her off.
02:45But in any case, grief has now turned into anger, and she's soon being shouted down.
02:52Suddenly, there's shoving with the police.
03:02As the now-broken microphone splutters away, there are shouts for Premier Zhou Rongtai, or someone with decision-making power, to come out.
03:10But it's a stalemate.
03:11And soon, as order returns, the rain-soaked firefighters are left to their thoughts and to comfort one another.
03:20Justin Wu and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
