"I think I can handle real situations without any problems"

[Visiting Gwangju Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center]

Eye-level education in progress for everyday disaster preparedness like earthquakes and fires

'Turn off fire and evacuate' virtual experience closely resembling reality draws atte

On the 29th, children are experiencing an earthquake at the Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center in Ochi-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Cho Hyung-joo] As the floor shook and vibrations began, the children moved busily. When the shaking, simulating a magnitude 3 earthquake, continued, the children quickly covered their heads with cushions and ducked under the table. This was a virtual experience, not a real situation.

At 10 a.m. on the 29th, the Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center in Ochi-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City was bustling with children's safety education.

The participating children learned how to respond to accidents that could occur in daily life, tailored to their level of understanding. They were taught how to prevent accidents in real situations, such as slipping in the bathroom or touching a hot pot.

Recreating a fire scenario, the children covered their mouths and noses, stayed low, and escaped through a dark fire evacuation route. Those who escaped the scene used a 119 emergency call booth to directly request rescue.

Fire suppression firefighters wearing fireproof suits also responded to the simulated fire scene. The children, acting as one-day firefighters, grabbed fire extinguishers and pretended to spray water at the screen while shouting "Fire!"

Jung Da-hyun from Johwa Kindergarten, who participated in this safety experience, said, "I feel like I became a firefighter. I think I could do it myself if a real fire breaks out." She added, "It was really good to learn the detailed way to put out a fire. I think I can handle real situations without problems with my friends."

On the 29th, children are experiencing an earthquake at the Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center in Ochi-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

A parent said, "It's great that the children can experience it firsthand," and added, "It was a good opportunity to enjoy evacuation training like a game during disaster situations."

The next experience started while sitting in an integrated vehicle that they ride every day.

As actual road footage played on the screen and a bus suddenly stopped in front of a crosswalk, the children held tightly to their seat belts and learned the importance of seat belts.

The Children's Safety Experience Center, located on the basement first floor of the Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center, categorizes dangerous situations that can be encountered in daily life into seven types and provides education tailored to the age group of the participants.

In particular, each experience zone had fire officials who had worked as field firefighters assigned as instructors to bring realism to the training.

Kim Jong-myeong, a fire lieutenant at the Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center, said, "I hope children learn accident prevention methods and how to respond through the safety experience center so they can prepare for emergencies."

Meanwhile, the Bitgoeul National Safety Experience Center, located in Ochi-dong, Buk-gu, which officially opened on the 19th, consists of 23 experience facilities across 8 zones.

The experience programs include ▲Children's Safety on the basement first floor ▲Natural Disaster Response, Mountain Safety, Heavy Rain Safety, Earthquake Safety on the first floor ▲Social Disaster Response, Fire Safety, Life Safety on the second floor ▲Emergency Safety, Student Safety on the third floor.

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