"Apartment Rooftop Doors Open in Emergencies"... Seongdong-gu Installs Automatic Rooftop Door Openers in Apartments

Seongdong-gu Supports Installation of 'Automatic Door Openers' on Rooftop Access Doors in Apartment Complexes...Closed to Prevent Crime and Safety Accidents, Automatically Opens for Evacuation in Fires and Disasters...102 Units Installed in 6 Complexes in 2020, Ongoing Support for Uninstalled Complexes

Seoul Forest Hillstate Automatic Opening and Closing Device

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “Why are all the rooftop doors locked?”

This was a line shouted in despair by the protagonist of the representative disaster film ‘Exit,’ which attracted nearly 10 million viewers last year, whenever he found the rooftop access door locked while trying to escape toxic gas.

Seongdong-gu (District Mayor Jeong Wono) has launched support for the installation of ‘automatic opening devices’ on rooftop access doors of apartment complexes to secure evacuation routes for residents during fires and other disaster situations.

Although it is recommended to keep rooftop access doors open as emergency evacuation spaces during emergencies, in reality, they are often kept closed for crime prevention and accident safety during normal times.

Accordingly, since February 29, 2016, regulations regarding housing construction standards have been amended to mandate the installation of emergency doors with ‘automatic opening devices’ that open automatically during disasters on the rooftop access doors of each building in apartment complexes.

However, this regulation does not apply to existing apartment complexes built before the law was enacted, and it has been identified that many complexes have not installed these devices. Therefore, the district is providing installation cost support through the apartment complex support project.

The ‘automatic opening device’ is connected to the building’s fire detection system, and when a fire is detected, the rooftop door, which was previously closed, automatically opens. In disaster situations such as gas leaks, the door can be remotely opened by entering a password or calling the security office with an emergency bell, preventing time wasted searching for the door key.

Earlier this year, the district received applications from apartment complexes without the device installed and selected a total of six complexes for support. Installation work has been completed on 53 rooftop access doors in four complexes, including Hawang Kumho Bestville Apartments, and installation is underway on 49 doors in two complexes. The district plans to continue providing ongoing support.

Jeong Wono, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, emphasized, “It is crucial to manage rooftop access doors to prevent crime and accidents during normal times and secure them as major emergency exits during fires. We will continue to provide unwavering support for the maintenance and reinforcement of safety facilities for the safety of Seongdong residents.”

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