Seoul Fire Department Implements Safety Measures for Winter Cold Waves and Heavy Snow... Safety Inspections in Vulnerable Areas

Safety Inspection of Vulnerable Areas and Gas Supply Facilities by the 30th
119 Safety Support Service for Severely Disabled Living Alone in Cold Wave... Operation of 119 Mobile Ambulance Teams

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 22nd that it will implement disaster safety measures to prepare for winter cold waves and heavy snowfall until March 15 next year.

The main contents of the winter disaster safety measures include △ safety management and facility inspection for vulnerable groups △ activation of emergency situation management system upon issuance of weather warnings △ emergency transport management for cold-related patients △ snow removal support and life rescue during power outages.

First, safety conditions in vulnerable areas such as jjokbangchon (small room villages) will be checked by the 30th of this month. This will be done by organizing safety call systems and management cards to provide support in emergencies. Joint inspections with related agencies on 1,358 gas supply facilities and large construction sites will also be conducted until January next year.

When a cold wave advisory is issued, safety management measures to protect disaster-vulnerable groups will be implemented. Fire officers and volunteer firefighters will focus on managing the safety of 657 severely disabled people living alone through welfare calls or visits. Additionally, a ‘Cold Wave 119 Patrol Ambulance’ will operate to patrol residential areas of vulnerable groups and provide emergency treatment and ambulance services immediately if cold-related patients are found on site.

Furthermore, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters and 25 fire stations will operate emergency situation rooms according to the alert level when a cold wave watch or warning is issued, deploying situation management personnel. Through this, they will disseminate real-time warning information, support safety for disaster-vulnerable groups, and manage the transport of cold-related patients.

An emergency work system by stage will also be operated to prepare for heavy snowfall. When snowfall of 5cm or more is forecast, a ‘119 Emergency Mobile Team’ consisting of 50 personnel per fire station will be organized to patrol snow removal vulnerable areas and support snow removal work in cooperation with district offices. If snowfall of 10cm or more is forecast, a metropolitan-level emergency situation room will be activated to mobilize firefighting forces and manage damage situations for systematic and prompt response.

In addition, in case of power outages caused by a sudden increase in electricity usage due to cold waves, four power generator vehicles (two fire department vehicles and two Korea Electric Power Corporation vehicles) will be mobilized along with the 119 rescue team to respond urgently to elevator entrapment accidents and others.

Meanwhile, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters plans to continuously conduct ice rescue and underwater search training to prepare for Han River water accidents during the severe cold season, as well as mountain rescue training to prepare for mountain accidents, thereby establishing a rapid response system for winter accident situations.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “We will thoroughly implement safety measures to protect citizens from cold waves this winter,” and added, “We will especially make every effort to provide safety services to protect vulnerable groups.”

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