Jeong Muchang, Gwangju City Council Member, Passes 'Traditional Market Volunteer Fire Brigade Support Ordinance' in Plenary Session

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Jeong Mu-chang, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party of Korea·Gwangsan 2), who proposed the 'Traditional Market Volunteer Fire Brigade Support Ordinance,' saw the bill passed at the 2nd plenary session of the 285th extraordinary meeting.

Councilor Jeong Mu-chang explained the background of the ordinance proposal, stating, "Due to the characteristics of traditional markets, it is difficult for fire trucks to access in case of fire, and the absence of professional personnel often causes the golden time for initial suppression to be missed. Through the operation of volunteer fire brigades, it is necessary to remove obstacles to firefighting activities and fire hazards during normal times and strengthen autonomous initial firefighting capabilities through fire drills."

The main contents of the ordinance include that merchants in traditional markets form volunteer fire brigades, and the market can activate these brigades through administrative and financial support. It also contains provisions for education, training, guidance, and supervision of the traditional market volunteer fire brigades for fire prevention and safety management.

In the past five years, 237 fires have occurred in traditional markets nationwide, resulting in 15 casualties and approximately 53 billion KRW in property damage. In Gwangju City alone, eight traditional market fires occurred in the past five years, causing about 100 million KRW in damage.

With the enactment of this ordinance, it is expected that systematic fire prevention and prompt initial response will be possible through the formation of volunteer fire brigades composed of merchants who are well aware of the environmental conditions of traditional markets, greatly contributing to the safety and property protection of citizens.

Councilor Jeong Mu-chang said, "The ordinance for fire prevention in traditional markets should not remain merely as an ordinance enactment. We will do our best to support the volunteer fire brigades so that they can continue their activities with pride and fulfillment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.