Jeju Fire Headquarters Anticipates Improvement in 'Regional Safety Index Fire Sector' Next Year

Published 21 Dec.2021 09:58(KST)

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Fire Safety Headquarters (Chief Park Geun-o) announced on the 21st that the 2022 regional safety index (fire sector) is expected to improve dramatically.

According to this year's regional safety index announced recently by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Jeju received a grade of 5 in the fire sector.

The regional safety index assigns grades from 1 to 5 by grouping metropolitan cities and provinces.

It is analyzed that the cause of the drop to grade 5 was due to the increase in the hazard indicator score (50% weight), which has the highest weight, as the number of deaths caused by fire last year increased fourfold compared to the previous year (3 in 2019 → 12 in 2020).

Since the announcement of the regional safety index in 2015, comparing the number of fire deaths and safety index grades in Jeju, the grades in years with fewer fire deaths than last year were mostly higher.

As most (71.4%) of the fire deaths in Jeju over the past five years occurred in residential facilities, the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters is actively promoting measures such as strengthening on-site response and reducing casualties to drastically reduce fire deaths.

They are focusing on managing residential fires through the distribution of residential fire alarms, operation of private cooperation fire safety care systems such as volunteer fire brigades, and establishing a constant fire monitoring system by investigating fire activity data and removing fire risk factors in vulnerable residential facilities such as densely populated single-family housing areas and residential vinyl greenhouses.

Additionally, each dispatch team designates a person in charge of rescue operations to prioritize life-saving activities on-site.

Practical training such as real fire drills is conducted to strengthen the on-site response capabilities of the personnel in preparation for actual fire situations.

The number of deaths caused by fire this year is currently 3 (as of December 20), which is a significant decrease compared to last year, so the fire sector grade of the regional safety index is expected to improve dramatically next year.

Park Geun-o, head of the Fire Safety Headquarters, said, “We will continue to implement various policies to drastically reduce fire casualties and do our best to make Jeju a safe place.”