Gyeonggi Fire Department's 'Special Alert Duty' on Buddha's Birthday

Gyeonggi Fire Department Headquarters

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters will launch a 'special alert duty' for fire prevention and response in celebration of Buddha's Birthday on the 30th.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters announced on the 28th that it will conduct special alert duty from 6 p.m. on the 29th, the day before Buddha's Birthday, until 9 a.m. on the 1st of next month through the headquarters and 35 fire stations under its jurisdiction.

This measure is in preparation for the risk of fire and potential safety accidents due to sporadic Buddhist ceremonies and lantern installations at some temples.

During this period, the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters will eliminate fire-prone factors such as safety inspections of fire-fighting equipment within temples and promote joint patrols and fire prevention activities with volunteer fire brigades.

Additionally, fire personnel will be deployed in advance around major temples to prepare for emergency situations.

According to the National Fire Information System of the Fire Agency, a total of 249 fires occurred at temples nationwide over the past five years, causing property damage worth 5.246 billion KRW.

The leading cause of fires was negligence at 38.5% (96 cases), followed by electrical causes at 27.3% (68 cases), unknown causes at 23.2% (58 cases), and mechanical causes at 5.6% (14 cases).

A Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters official said, "In celebration of Buddha's Birthday, fire trucks and safety personnel will be deployed in advance to respond quickly to disasters such as fires," adding, "We will especially do our best to manage infections during the special alert duty period to prevent any COVID-19 cases."

Meanwhile, there are a total of 411 temples in Gyeonggi-do.

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