Retired Firefighters Active as Local 'Safety Guardians'

Traditional Market Safety Inspection, Safety Services for Elderly Living Alone

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Fire Agency announced on the 18th that retired firefighters, who possess both specialized fire safety knowledge and field experience, are actively working as local safety guardians.

Last year, after being selected for the retired public officials' social contribution project led by the Ministry of Personnel Management, safety environment creation projects tailored to the characteristics of the regions began in Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongbuk-do.

The Chungcheongbuk-do Fire Headquarters started operating the ‘Traditional Market Safety Guardian (Safe Guide)’ system in June last year. Five retired firefighters were assigned to five traditional markets: Cheongju Yukgeori General, Cheongju Sachang, Chungju Jayu, Jecheon Jungang, and Danyang Gugyeong. They conduct patrol activities to prevent fires within the markets, guide against illegal parking to secure fire truck access routes, and provide fire safety education to merchants and visitors.

The safety guardian activity locations were selected among five traditional markets designated as fire watch zones, where fire truck access or dispatch is difficult during fires and where there is a high risk of fire due to large floating populations. The plan is to increase the number of locations depending on personnel reinforcement status.

Additionally, the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters has been operating the ‘Fire-Vulnerable Silver Generation Safety Guardians’ project since August, visiting elderly living alone with mobility difficulties to provide safety services. As the elderly population increases, retired firefighters (five people) visit single elderly households to remove fire hazards and distribute fire alarms and extinguishers. The safety guardians also provide safety education tailored to the silver generation’s perspective during their visits.

Jo In-jae, Director of Fire Policy at the Fire Agency, explained, "We plan to analyze the current activities of cities and provinces where the program is operating to increase the number of participants and beneficiaries," adding, "We will continue to carry out various projects that allow retired firefighters to give back their expertise and experience to society."

Meanwhile, the Fire Agency plans to expand the number of participants and regions in the safety guardian project, which currently has 10 retired firefighters active, and will start a safety management project targeting elderly living alone in Jeollabuk-do from April.

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