Seoul City to Implement 'Fire Safety Measures' for All 559 Mixed-Use Residential Complexes in the City

Special Fire Safety Inspection for 352 Mixed-Use Apartment Complexes by the End of May

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 19th that, based on an analysis of vulnerabilities related to the fire at a mixed-use residential and commercial apartment complex in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province on the 10th, it will promote special fire inspections and on-site adaptation training for all mixed-use residential and commercial apartment complexes in Seoul.

Mixed-use residential and commercial apartment complexes are buildings combining residential and commercial facilities, with parking lots and shops located in the basement or lower floors. In particular, if a fire occurring on the lower floors is not extinguished early, a large amount of toxic gas and flames can be generated, making it difficult for residents on the upper floors to evacuate, which is a vulnerability.

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters has formed 114 special fire inspection teams consisting of 240 personnel to conduct urgent special fire inspections on 559 buildings across 352 mixed-use residential and commercial apartment complexes by the end of May to strengthen fire prevention and safety management.

The special inspections are conducted with the purpose of enhancing fire prevention by visiting the target sites to check the management status of fire and evacuation facilities, compliance with fire prevention standards in restaurants within the buildings, and verifying whether the building safety managers are performing their duties appropriately. In particular, the operation of key fire facilities essential for initial fire suppression and life evacuation, such as sprinklers and automatic fire detection systems, will be thoroughly checked.

Additionally, the appropriateness of the self-inspection results of fire facilities submitted by the mixed-use residential and commercial apartment complexes will be continuously verified through on-site visits. Furthermore, by the end of June, all mixed-use residential and commercial apartment complexes will undergo on-site adaptation training conducted by 24 fire stations in Seoul, mobilizing on-site response teams and fire trucks.

The main training contents include confirming vehicle access routes and internal building entry paths, devising fire suppression and fire spread prevention measures, and checking and mastering the operation of spaces for special fire trucks.

Meanwhile, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will also promote fire training consulting and manual distribution for building stakeholders to enable residents and others to evacuate quickly from the early stages of a fire. This is to ensure that prompt actions to prevent casualties can be autonomously taken before the arrival of firefighting forces.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, "We will implement fire safety measures considering the high-rise and complex nature of urban living infrastructure such as mixed-use buildings," adding, "We will ensure there are no gaps in proactive administration for fire prevention and rapid accident response."

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