"Be Sure to Understand the Changing Fire Safety Facility Act"

Fire Agency Introduces Important Matters

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The National Fire Agency introduced on the 17th the "important matters that stakeholders (owners, managers, or occupants of fire safety objects) should know" among the changes in the fire facility installation and management system starting this year as part of proactive administration following the full revision of the Fire Safety Facilities Act.

Stakeholders must secure the necessary annual funding to enhance the convenience and safety of users of the building, etc., and to preserve and improve the functions and performance of fire safety facilities, and actively cooperate with the installation and management activities of fire safety facilities by the national and local governments.

Additionally, if fire safety facilities are newly installed in the relevant building, stakeholders must conduct the initial inspection (comprehensive inspection) within 60 days from the date the building becomes usable and submit the results to the fire department.

Along with this, buildings equipped with automatic fire detection systems or simple sprinkler systems can be directly inspected by stakeholders using inspection equipment, but buildings with indoor fire hydrants or sprinkler systems must select a management company to conduct self-inspections (operation + comprehensive).

Regarding fire facility repairs, if stakeholders discover serious violations such as fire pump malfunctions during self-inspections, they must promptly take necessary measures such as repair, replacement, and maintenance, and a fine of up to 3 million KRW will be imposed for violations.

Also, from this year, the submission period for self-inspection result reports of fire facilities requires that if stakeholders conduct the inspection (if a management company conducts the inspection, it must submit the inspection record to the stakeholder within 10 days after the inspection is completed), the stakeholder must submit the self-inspection result implementation plan (repair, replacement, and maintenance plan for broken fire facilities) to the fire department within 15 days from the inspection completion date. Stakeholders must report to the fire department within 10 days from the completion of the implementation plan by attaching proof of completion and the fire facility construction contract to the implementation completion report.

Furthermore, stakeholders must conduct self-inspections using two inspection personnel and inspection equipment when inspecting automatic fire detection systems and simple sprinkler systems.

Managers and residents of multi-family housing must inspect all units' fire safety facilities within two years, and the management entity must establish and implement a plan to inspect at least 50% of all units during operation inspections and at least 30% during comprehensive inspections per inspection session.

Stakeholders must post the self-inspection date and time, inspectors, and other related matters on the inspection record sheet in a place easily visible to visitors of the specific fire safety object for at least 30 days within 10 days from the date of submitting the self-inspection result report to the fire department, and a fine of up to 3 million KRW will be imposed for violations.

Hwang Gi-seok, Director of the Fire Prevention Bureau at the National Fire Agency, urged, "As stakeholders of specific fire safety objects are the main parties responsible for the installation and management of fire facilities in the building, they should carefully review the changed system starting this year and do their best in safety management."

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