The magnitude 7.2 earthquake on Wednesday last week caused a fire in the physics and engineering building at National Dong Hwa University in Hualien. An initial estimate report said that there was about NT$500 million (US$15.58 million) in damage, while the cost to rebuild might be as much as NT$2 billion.
The fire might have been sparked by damaged electrical circuits, or improper placing and storage of inflammable chemicals, the report said.
Usually, in school fires, an investigation focuses on the scene, the cause and disaster prevention systems. The first two are the responsibility of local fire departments, while the disaster prevention system is the university’s.
In terms of disaster prevention, the three main problems in disaster prevention at universities are unclear governance and responsibilities, inadequate capacity and insufficient resources.
Regarding disaster prevention responsibilities on campus, universities fall under the Ministry of Education, which has no affiliation with local governments. The ministry’s Higher Education Department is in charge of all university affairs, but that excludes disaster prevention on campuses.
Preventing disasters at universities is dependent on self-governance and the degree to which the university president takes the issue seriously.
Universities’ capacity to prevent disasters needs to be improved. As they are classified as non-profit organizations, they have been crying poor for years, while insufficient personnel and budgets directly or indirectly lead to shortages of disaster-prevention resources.
Companies and factories can count on local fire or labor departments, but university labs can must fend for themselves.
Furthermore, disaster prevention systems at universities are under-resourced. Universities specialize in academic progress, not disaster prevention.
To ensure safety, most universities establish centers of environmental protection and occupational safety and health to manage labs.
However, besides short-staffing issues, universities lack expert knowledge on disaster prevention. Also, because the safety centers are units of the institution, they are not supervised by an independent body.
Disaster prevention on campus is an important issue, but it is difficult to improve unless universities receive external supervision and support.
The fire at Dong Hwa provides an entry point to review disaster prevention systems at universities. The reason for a complete fire investigation is not to provide accountability, but to prevent problems from happening again.
If the focus is on accountability, the investigation might be hindered, making it difficult to determine the truth and implement preventive measures.
Moreover, the report indicates that the problems are not limited to the Hualien institution, but affect the university system nationwide.
Yang Yung-nane is a professor of political science at National Cheng Kung University and an adviser to the Tainan City Government’s disaster prevention advisory committee.
Translated by Chien Yan-ru
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