Mandatory firefighting facilities for multi-family and row houses… “Reduce 50% of deaths in housing fires”

Firefighting facilities and evacuation facilities will be obligated to be installed in multi-family and row houses in the future to reduce human damage caused by housing fires to less than half by 2024.

In addition, some of the firefighters are designated as lifesaving personnel, and in areas with densely populated houses, the conditions for entering fire engines will be periodically checked in order to quickly respond in case of fire, and safety management will be strengthened in highlands and redevelopment sites.

The Fire Department announced on the 9th that it will pursue measures to reduce human casualties from residential fires, which are based on these contents.

According to the Fire Department, the number of fires in residential facilities in the last three years (2018-2020) amounted to 33,724, accounting for 27.8% of the total fires (121,000,000).

However, the number of deaths from residential fires was 560, accounting for 55.0% of the total number of fire deaths (1,18).

Accordingly, the Fire Department plans to reduce the number of deaths in residential fires by 2024 to less than 100, half of last year (201) through this comprehensive measure.

◇ Mandatory installation of firefighting and evacuation facilities in multi-family and row houses… Designated as’Life Rescue’ when fighting fire

In order to eliminate the fire safety blind spot, the Fire Department first mandates the installation of firefighting facilities and evacuation facilities in multi-family and row houses, and promotes system improvement by establishing safety standards in consideration of the characteristics of apartment houses.

Currently, there are 251,389 dongs in multi-family housing nationwide and 36,000 238 dongs in row houses, accounting for 65% of the total apartment houses, but unlike apartments and dormitories, firefighting and evacuation facilities are not subject to mandatory installation under the current law.

The Fire Department is planning to include fire-fighting facilities such as automated fire detection facilities and emergency warning facilities, as well as evacuation facilities such as stubbornly, in specific fire targets, even in multi-family and row houses.

The Fire Department predicted that the revision of related laws to make firefighting and evacuation facilities mandatory will be possible within next year.

The Fire Department is planning to eliminate blind spots by first enacting fire safety standards for apartments in consideration of the structure, residence characteristics, and evacuation characteristics of apartments before the revision of the law.

The Fire Department also decided to designate and operate some of the firefighters as personnel in charge of lifesaving in order to minimize damage to people in case of a house fire.

In addition to the existing rescue workers, the plan is to reinforce the foundation for lifesaving-centered field activities by having them in charge of lifesaving work.

In addition, on-site response techniques specialized for small houses such as detached houses with high fire frequency are also advanced.

By strengthening the collection of information on areas with densely populated houses, it is planned to periodically analyze the conditions of entry into fire engines and the current status of the vulnerable, and apply customized on-site response techniques according to the structure and characteristics of each house.

In addition, in the case of small houses where access roads are difficult to secure and the risk of collapse is high, a study on commercialization of fire extinguishers that can efficiently extinguish fires from a distance is underway, the Fire Department explained.

◇ Joint inspection of fire prevention in housing… Reinforcement of management of highlands, residential areas, and planned redevelopment areas

The Fire Department decided to expand the joint inspection, which has been mainly focused on fire-vulnerable facilities such as traditional markets, to the housing sector.

A consultative body is formed with specialized organizations such as construction, electricity, and gas to conduct joint inspections by field and conduct comprehensive fire safety consulting. The subject of inspection is gradually expanded from multi-family housing to single-family housing.

In addition, retired firefighters and volunteer firefighters with extensive experience in prevention work and fire suppression are operated to strengthen the fire monitoring system, and overheating and short circuit conditions for invisible electrical wiring such as switchboards and ceilings of houses. It is also planning to actively use thermal imaging cameras to check the data.

Safety management will also be strengthened for highlands or residential areas where it is difficult to enter fire engines or supply fire water.

The Fire Service Agency plans to designate areas where firefighting vehicles are not allowed to enter, such as highlands, by next month, to supply firefighting facilities for houses to those areas, and to provide training on initial fire response issues such as evacuation instructions. It will also strengthen patrols on fire-prone areas, such as areas where redevelopment is planned.

In addition, it plans to increase the penetration rate of residential firefighting facilities for the vulnerable to 91% this year and 100% next year.

Life-oriented education and public relations will also be reinforced to raise public awareness of safety and form a social consensus.

In particular, by designating this year as the’Year of Focus on Publicity of Fire Alarms for Homes’, the effect of installing fire alarms will be actively promoted through TV advertisements, and various non-face-to-face education related to installation methods will be promoted.

Fire Service Commissioner Shin Yeol-woo said, “Through this measure, we will establish a systematic and comprehensive fire safety foundation that can fundamentally reduce housing fires,” and said, “I ask the people to be aware of fires in their lives and participate in fire prevention.” Asked.

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