Promotion of 'Fire Safety Measures' for Chuseok Holidays... Seoul Fire Department "Fire Safety Priority in Heavy Rain Damage Areas"

Emergency Fire Facility Mobile Maintenance Teams Deployed to 74 Evacuation Centers for Disaster Victims, Safety Consulting Provided
Free Replacement of Fire Alarms in Flooded Homes, Gas Facility Safety Inspections to Ensure Residential Safety

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 28th that it will prioritize fire safety for semi-basement houses and flooded buildings damaged by heavy rain and implement fire safety measures to ensure citizens can spend the Chuseok holiday safely.

The main measures of the fire safety plan for heavy rain-affected areas, promoted by the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters before Chuseok, include ▲ operation of an emergency mobile fire maintenance team at evacuation shelters for disaster victims ▲ free replacement of residential fire alarms and gas safety inspections for flooded houses ▲ and exemption from fire inspections for flood-damaged buildings.

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters will deploy an emergency mobile fire maintenance team to 74 evacuation shelters for disaster victims to investigate fire hazards and take corrective actions, providing fire safety consulting. They will also address safety concerns identified through 167 recovery support activities at flood sites (with 1,214 participants) conducted by the Fire and Disaster Headquarters and Seoul Volunteer Fire Brigade until the 23rd.

Accordingly, residential fire alarms will be replaced free of charge in semi-basement houses damaged by flooding, and joint gas facility safety inspections will be conducted with district offices and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation to help ensure citizens' residential safety and daily life recovery.

Additionally, administrative support will be provided to buildings in heavy rain-affected areas facing difficulties due to prolonged facility restoration. Building owners requiring postponement of self-inspections of fire facilities can apply to the local fire station, and after review, the inspection deadline may be extended.

To ensure a safe and comfortable Chuseok holiday, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will also thoroughly implement measures such as fire prevention safety consulting for traditional markets and multi-use facilities, and special alert duty at fire stations. Fire special inspections and fire prevention safety consulting for 567 locations, including traditional markets and multi-use facilities frequently used by citizens before and after the Chuseok holiday, have been underway since the 9th.

Furthermore, to support households where elderly parents live separately in Seoul due to the resurgence of COVID-19 during the Chuseok holiday, installation of residential fire alarms will be supported. Eligible households are those with residents aged 65 or older without installed residential fire safety facilities. Applications can be made by the individual or family through the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters website until the end of October.

To proactively respond to large-scale fires, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will conduct a ‘special alert duty’ from the 8th to the 13th of next month, the day before and during the Chuseok holiday. During this period, 25 fire stations in Seoul will activate an emergency contact system for rapid mobilization of firefighting forces, maintain fire prevention patrols, and secure emergency routes for fire trucks to ensure swift response.

The Seoul Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Center, responsible for receiving 119 emergency calls, plans to deploy additional personnel during the holiday to prepare for an increase in severe COVID-19 cases and provide prompt information on hospital and pharmacy guidance and emergency medical consultations. Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, “We will do our best to help flood-affected citizens recover their daily lives,” and added, “We will leave no gaps in implementing proactive fire safety measures for vulnerable targets to ensure a safe and comfortable Chuseok holiday.”

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