At the Cabinet's weekly meeting today, Premier Mao Chi-kuo expressed deep sadness at the deaths of six young firefighters who perished in the line of duty in Greater Taoyuan January 20. He instructed the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to provide the maximum compensation possible for the bereaved families.
After hearing a report on the MOI's responses and follow-up actions, Mao said the MOI should take lessons from the fire and assess the adequacy of the nation's firefighting manpower and protective gear, increasing or purchasing more where necessary. This experience should also be used to improve the firefighter training and command system as quickly as possible.
The bowling alley where the blaze broke out was operating illegally and violated several land use and architectural codes. Mao asked the MOI, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and local governments to account for all such illegal structures and issue fines according to law so as to protect the safety of citizens and firefighters.