The National Fire Agency announced on the 9th that it will inspect the ‘Winter Fire Prevention Measures’ at 10 selected fire stations nationwide as the winter season, which has a high risk of fire, approaches. This inspection aims to check the actual implementation status of the ‘Winter Fire Prevention Measures’ that have been promoted since November last year and to listen to the difficulties on-site to reflect them in future system improvements.
The inspection will be conducted from mid to late January, visiting 10 fire stations selected considering regional characteristics among fire departments nationwide. To this end, the National Fire Agency has organized five inspection teams to focus on examining the appropriateness of the winter fire prevention measures and their implementation status in each region. The main inspection items include the appropriateness of detailed plans for winter fire prevention measures, the implementation status of the measures, and guidance on the newly revised evaluation system this year.
Through this inspection, the National Fire Agency plans to focus on enhancing the effectiveness of policies by communicating with the field beyond simple performance checks. In addition, the National Fire Agency is making every effort to proactively respond to prevent similar accidents in relation to recent large-scale fires overseas. Immediately after the high-rise apartment fire in Hong Kong last November, emergency fire safety measures were promoted for domestic high-rise buildings to preemptively block risk factors, and a full inspection is scheduled to be completed by the first half of this year.
Based on the results of this inspection, the National Fire Agency plans to share the discovered best practices with fire departments nationwide to enhance prevention-focused response capabilities. In addition, awards such as commendations will be given to outstanding institutions after submitting performance results and comprehensive evaluations in the future. Acting Commissioner Kim Seung-ryong emphasized, “Winter is a time when the risk of fire is higher than ever due to the increased use of heating devices,” and “We will use overseas cases as a lesson to promote thorough prevention measures and build a fire safety network that the public can trust through this on-site inspection.”