Jeonnam Fire Department Eliminates 'Safety Blind Spots' in Island and Islet Areas

'Additional Installation of Fire Extinguisher Boxes Visible from Alleyways'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Fire Department is carefully monitoring to ensure that no safety blind spots occur in various island and archipelago areas.

Jeonnam Fire Headquarters (Chief Ma Jaeyoon) announced on the 8th that they have installed 200 "Visible Alleyway Fire Extinguisher Boxes" in 10 island areas within the province where fire forces are not deployed.

The alleyway fire extinguisher boxes are installed in alleyways where fire trucks have difficulty accessing and where fire hydrants are not installed, making early response to fires vulnerable. From this year, they are being prioritized for installation in island areas that are difficult to access in case of fire.

Island areas have limitations in deploying firefighting forces, and in regions where wide-area water supply systems are not provided, it is difficult to install firefighting water facilities such as fire hydrants, leaving them as blind spots in fire safety until now.

The newly installed alleyway fire extinguisher boxes are placed at 30-meter intervals so that nearby residents can use them in case of fire, and they are equipped with phosphorescent signs to easily identify their locations even at night.

The interior of the alleyway fire extinguisher boxes consists of two 3.3 kg powder fire extinguishers and are installed in two forms: wall-mounted type attached to walls or fences, and stand type that can be placed on the ground.

In August and October of last year, in Suncheon and Gwangyang, neighboring residents effectively secured the golden time by using the fire extinguisher boxes installed in alleyways to initially extinguish house fires.

Each fire station plans to increase the effect of securing golden time by educating nearby residents on how to use the fire extinguishers and informing them of the installation locations of the extinguisher boxes.

Chief Ma Jaeyoon said, "We will strive to implement firefighting policies reflecting regional characteristics by deploying fire extinguisher boxes in island areas where fire truck access is difficult to prevent safety blind spots. We will also focus on managing and educating about fire extinguishers so that village residents can actively use them by promoting the locations and usage of the extinguisher boxes."

Meanwhile, last year Jeonnam Fire Department installed 484 visible fire extinguisher boxes in densely populated residential areas within the province, and this year added 200 more in island and archipelago areas. A total of 684 visible alleyway fire extinguisher boxes are now installed.