00:0010 years, 43 lives lost, and still Taiwan's firefighters here
00:12said they're being denied the legal and safety protections they deserve.
00:17Their demand is simple. They want firefighters to be included in the Occupational Safety and
00:22Health Act, a law aimed to prevent occupational accidents and protect workers. But since they're
00:28public servants, they're not covered by that.
00:49Calls for legal change have taken on renewed urgency. After the deaths of two firefighters
00:55in New Taipei in early July, during a rescue operation. Currently, firefighters are governed
01:02by the Fire Services Act, which has the fire department as both the implementing and supervisory
01:08body. Advocates argue this creates a clear conflict of interest, enabling the government
01:13to evade oversight and avoid accountability when tragedies occur.
01:20As frustration grows over the authorities' handling of firefighter deaths over the last decade,
01:37protesters here say the ruling Democratic Progressive Party has responded only by saying a broad social
01:44consensus is needed before change can happen. And while the opposition has proposed a draft
01:50amendment to include public servants under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the bill
01:55has only passed its first reading, with no subsequent hearings scheduled.
01:59As Taiwan's firefighters prepare to head out on their next mission, still without the protections
02:18they want, they say the real emergency is legislative and the alarm is still sounding. Kamashu and Izzy
02:25Wells for Taiwan Plus.
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