Hong Taeyong, Mayor of Gimhae, Writes "Be Careful with Fire" Letter, Urges Companies to Prevent Fires

Recently, following a series of factory fires in the region, Hong Taeyong, mayor of Gimhae City, Gyeongnam, once again took up the "pen."

On the 14th, Mayor Hong, along with the chiefs of Gimhae East and West Fire Stations, wrote letters to local companies to raise awareness of voluntary fire prevention.

Earlier, on the 4th, he sent a letter urging compliance with heat illness prevention guidelines to 579 construction companies in the Gimhae area.

This letter included fire prevention guidelines such as ▲ adherence to safety rules when handling welding and various fire sources ▲ compliance with safety rules and handling methods when using flammable liquids ▲ maintenance and management of evacuation facilities and fire-fighting equipment such as emergency exits ▲ employee fire prevention training ▲ strengthening of self-fire patrols.

A letter sent by Hong Tae-yong, Mayor of Gimhae, Gyeongnam, and the chiefs of Gimhae East and West Fire Stations to local businesses. [Image provided by Gimhae City Hall]

Mayor Hong emphasized, "Recently, frequent large and small factory fires have caused significant loss of precious lives and property," adding, "Factory fires can shake the foundation of citizens' lives by not only threatening the survival of businesses but also causing employees to lose their jobs."

He continued, "Prevention is the most important aspect of fire safety," and urged, "I ask for deep interest and active practice of safety rules for fire prevention."

According to the city, Gimhae, ranked third nationwide in terms of the number of companies, has about 8,000 companies operating, but many are small-scale or individually located businesses, resulting in insufficient self-managed fire prevention.

From the beginning of this year until July, 55 factory fires occurred in Gimhae, causing approximately 3.8 billion KRW in property damage, accounting for 4% of the 1,338 factory fires nationwide this year.

The city plans to raise awareness of fire prevention by conducting fire prevention education and campaigns targeting local business councils and fire-vulnerable companies in September.

Mayor Hong stated, "Due to the nature of manufacturing, the handling of combustible materials and hazardous facilities makes the occurrence of large and small fires highly likely," and added, "I hope all companies in the area will actively cooperate to create an environment for voluntary fire prevention."

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