The Taitung County Fire Bureau participated in the 2024 “Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Government” and stood out among hundreds of government projects worldwide with its “Smart Cloud-based Emergency Resource Integration Platform – 5G Smart Mobile Emergency Room System,” winning third place in the Asia-Pacific region. This achievement follows the department’s receipt of the “Global Innovation Achievement Award” at the “10th Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities” in Seoul, South Korea, in late September, further demonstrating its outstanding innovation capabilities and international recognition.
The “Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards for Government,” organized by the globally renowned research and advisory firm Gartner, has been held annually since 2019, inviting outstanding digital innovation projects from governments worldwide. The competition is divided into 3 regions: Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. This year, the award removed distinctions based on government levels, judging all entries together, which significantly raised the level of competition. Approximately 200 to 300 projects were submitted this year, from which the top four finalists from each region were selected, followed by a final determination of a single grand prize winner.
The preparation for this award began in April of this year, guided by Lee Chen-yu, Executive Director of the International Cooperation Center of the Taipei Computer Association, who led one advisory meeting. Additionally, the Taitung County Government’s International Development and Planning Department assisted with English proofreading and the award application process. Thanks to these efforts, the Taitung County Fire Department’s “Smart Cloud-based Emergency Resource Integration Platform – 5G Smart Mobile Emergency Room System” successfully advanced to the finals in August, ultimately securing third place in the Asia-Pacific region. This achievement underscores the Fire Department’s exceptional capabilities and strengths in emergency medical rescue.
Taitung County Magistrate April Yao highlighted that this integrated platform allows medical supervisors to diagnose patients’ conditions in real-time and guide EMT-Ps (paramedics) in performing advanced life-saving procedures directly from the ambulance. By leveraging technology, this system overcomes geographic limitations to successfully save lives, creating Taiwan’s most fully equipped mobile ER system for remote areas.
Fire Commissioner Kuan Chien-hsing emphasized that this award represents the combined efforts of the county government, fire department, medical supervisors, and receiving medical facilities, along with the integration of advanced technology. This achievement not only affirms Taitung’s role in global digital innovation within government sectors but also provides valuable insights for future strategic and operational planning. Moving forward, the fire department will continue aligning with SDG 17, promoting a smarter and healthier city, to become a leading professional rescue team on the global level.
