Nationwide 24 '119 Special Rescue Units' Consolidated into 4 Regions... Strengthening Safety Standards for Aging Industrial Complexes and Housing

Fire Agency Establishes Customized Management System for Vulnerable Groups... Integrates 14.8 Billion Dispersed Data from Ministries to Build 'Fire Safety Information System'
Expands Paramedics' Emergency Treatment Scope, Eliminates Blind Spots in Rescue and Emergency Activities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency plans to reorganize the 24 nationwide 119 Special Rescue Teams, currently dispersed and installed by city and province, into four zones, selectively deploying specialized personnel and special equipment according to disaster types. Priority will be given to conducting special fire safety inspections in aging industrial complexes vulnerable to fires, and fire safety standards for residential facilities will be strengthened.

On the 9th, the National Fire Agency announced its work plan for this year, selecting safety, reassurance, and inspiration as core values, and focusing on three main strategies: △ strengthening on-site disaster response capabilities △ establishing a customized fire safety management system △ providing fire safety services closely connected to the public.

First, to enhance on-site disaster response capabilities, the agency plans to strengthen the initial disaster response system and make all-out efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Through the 119 Integrated Situation Management System, the National Fire Agency will confirm the allocation of available firefighting forces nationwide and reorganize the 24 nationwide 119 Special Rescue Teams into four zones, selectively deploying specialized personnel and special equipment according to disaster types.

Using 394 dedicated 119 ambulances and 1,218 general ambulances nationwide, a safe transport system for confirmed patients will be established. If a large-scale outbreak occurs in a specific area, a nationwide 119 ambulance mobilization order will be issued, as was done last year in Daegu and the metropolitan area. The fire truck priority signal system will be gradually expanded and installed in urban areas with frequent traffic congestion, and legal amendments will be pursued to support firefighters with litigation expenses, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of forced measures during fire truck dispatches.

Additionally, fire trucks equipped with Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) to increase firefighting effectiveness in high-rise building fires and 70-meter-class aerial ladder trucks will be reinforced. The agency will also develop standard specifications for firefighting equipment to improve performance and quality.

A customized fire safety management system for vulnerable targets will also be established. The National Fire Agency plans to mandate the placement of fire safety managers at construction sites vulnerable to fire and require the installation of sprinklers and special detectors in logistics warehouses. Furthermore, intelligent detectors capable of identifying fire locations and remote inspections will be mandated in apartments, and the capacity standards for sprinkler water tanks will be raised when multiple buildings are connected via underground parking lots.

The agency will strengthen on-site response capabilities by building a 'Fire Safety Information System' that integrates 14.8 billion data points from 33 systems, including fire information, building information, and hazardous chemical information, which are currently managed individually by various ministries. The 'IoT-based Real-time Fire Facility Management System,' which transmits the operational status and abnormal signs of fire facilities to building stakeholders and the relevant fire station in real time, will also be gradually expanded.

Moreover, the scope of emergency treatment by paramedics will be expanded to eliminate blind spots in rescue and emergency activities. The National Fire Agency is pursuing legal amendments to expand the emergency treatment scope of 119 paramedics (from 14 to 21 types), including electrocardiogram measurement, drug administration, and umbilical cord cutting, for rapid and professional emergency care. In fact, a pilot operation of 219 special ambulance teams resulted in a 4.9 percentage point increase in pre-hospital survival rates of cardiac arrest patients (from 10.4% to 15.3%).

The agency plans to operate Res-Pump teams, which simultaneously perform rescue and firefighting tasks, in areas more than 20 km away from 119 rescue teams, and deploy 119 ambulances in 95 rural and fishing villages without 119 ambulance teams to eliminate emergency medical blind spots. Fire safety facilities will be provided free of charge to all households in vulnerable safety groups, and a system will be established to support hospital appointment transportation for pregnant women in areas without obstetrics and delivery facilities, as well as delivery support when childbirth is imminent.

A 'Fire Victim Support Center' will be operated to provide one-stop services including psychological counseling, housing support, and living, medical, and tax assistance to citizens affected by fires. Five new fire safety experience centers will be opened and operated, and fire station safety experience classrooms and mobile safety experience vehicles will be reinforced.

Shin Yeol-woo, Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, said, "Over the past four years, with the support of the public, there has been significant progress in firefighting, including the establishment of the independent National Fire Agency, the transition to national status, and the recruitment of 20,000 personnel." He added, "This year, we will reduce regional disparities to ensure all citizens receive equitable firefighting services, promote life-centered fire prevention policies, and create a safe country from disasters through proactive mobilization of firefighting forces in large-scale disasters."

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