"People in Taiwan don't grasp the basic concept of disaster preparedness. You have to minimize the threat of disasters, and not just depend on someone to rescue you after the fact," says Shih. Four years ago, when he moved into a new apartment building on Hangchou South Road, he was amazed to see that many of his neighbors had removed smoke detectors and sprinklers in the interests of interior decor.
「台灣民眾太缺乏防災的觀念，災難是要預防而不是靠事後急救，」石富元說，四年前他搬進杭州南路一棟大樓，看到很多鄰居為了裝潢的美觀而把偵煙、灑水等消防設備拆掉，讓他深感不可思議。