Seoul City Launches Emergency Fire Safety Inspections at 645 Large Logistics Warehouses and Other Sites

Considering the unique characteristics of each facility, on-site adaptation training by fire stations will continue until the end of July
Joint inspections with related organizations and fire training consulting for facility personnel will also be conducted

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 22nd that it will conduct special fire inspections and on-site adaptation training for warehouse facilities and warehouse-type retail facilities in Seoul based on an analysis of fire vulnerability factors in large logistics warehouses.

There are a total of 645 warehouse facilities and warehouse-type retail facilities registered in Seoul, of which 42 are large-scale facilities with a total floor area exceeding 15,000㎡. In particular, the Seoul Complex Logistics Center located in Jangji-dong, Songpa-gu, is the largest distribution and logistics cluster in Seoul, with 2 basement floors, 8 above-ground floors, and a total floor area of 399,000㎡.

Large logistics warehouses have many stored items and large scale, as well as high ceiling heights, large equipment such as conveyors, and installations like refrigerated and frozen warehouses, making fire suppression more difficult compared to general buildings. Especially, if a fire occurs and is not extinguished early, the combustible materials stored inside ignite, causing the fire to rapidly grow. Additionally, toxic smoke generated by the fire hinders evacuation, causing casualties, and restricts the activities of firefighters engaged in fire suppression.

Accordingly, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will strengthen fire prevention and safety management of warehouse facilities and warehouse-type retail facilities by forming special inspection teams within the fire headquarters and fire stations to conduct urgent special fire inspections of all target facilities by July 16.

The special inspection will be conducted through on-site visits to check the maintenance of fire facilities, the performance of fire safety management duties, and the securing of evacuation routes. For large logistics warehouses and similar facilities, experts and the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation will participate to focus on inspecting the sprinkler systems and electrical safety management status.

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters will also conduct on-site adaptation training centered on the respective fire stations for these facilities by the end of July to prepare for fires. Through the training, they will identify necessary information for each target based on on-site commanders’ situational judgment and command, and check the placement of fire trucks.

Furthermore, fire training consulting will be provided to ensure that from the early stages of a fire, facility personnel can communicate the situation and guide evacuation. They will also verify building structures and goods storage areas to enable prompt response.

In addition, measures to ensure the safety of personnel engaged in firefighting activities on-site will be strengthened. During on-site training, routes for entry and exit by dispatch teams, proficiency with safety equipment, and radio communication equipment checks will be conducted, prioritizing the protection of citizens’ lives and the safety of on-site personnel.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “Fires in large logistics facilities cause enormous damage and great inconvenience to citizens’ lives. We will focus administrative efforts on disaster prevention and ensure thorough damage minimization through all-out response in case of emergencies.”

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