| Abstract |
This article aims to discuss the establishment and development of regular firefighting system during Japanese Colonial Rule in Taiwan and its historical significance. The regular firefighters were found originated from a private organization ‘Fire Brigade’ owing to the greater social demand already incapable by the original volunteer-based system since the mid- 1910’s and the practice of Motherland Extension Policy. Regular firefighters were first established in Taipei in 1922 and successively by a number of major cities including Taichung, Tainan, Keelung and Chiayi. The social status and welfare of firefighters increasingly improved along with the growing recruitment of Fire Brigade during the following years. It was until 1943 that Taiwan government-general established the Fire Agency, which employed policemen as the chief executive and took in the firefighters from Fire Brigade as their staff. This is the beginning of regular fight fighting system in the public sector during the colonial Taiwan. However, the Fire Agency did not prevail in Taiwan except in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Keelung. In addition, most of regular firefighters were Japanese, while Taiwanese were only few. Despite of this, the Fire Agency paved the ground for further development of firefighting system in the postwar Taiwan. |
