Seoul Facilities Corporation Conducts Joint Fire Drill at Jeongneung Tunnel... Lane 1 Closed from 10 to 11 AM

Joint Drill of 5 Agencies Assuming Vehicle Fire in Jeongneung Tunnel

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Facilities Corporation announced on the 29th that it will conduct a joint firefighting drill with related agencies to prepare for vehicle fire accidents at the Jeongneung Tunnel on the Internal Circulation Road.

The drill assumes a fire accident caused by a passenger car colliding with a cargo vehicle ahead at the 650m mark of the first lane in the Seongsan direction of Jeongneung Tunnel at 10 a.m. The fire suppression and citizen evacuation drill inside the tunnel will last about an hour. Due to this drill, the first lane in the Seongsan direction of Jeongneung Tunnel will be closed from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on that day. The remaining two lanes in the Seongsan direction and the Majang direction will remain open to traffic.

Since tunnels have a closed structure, toxic gases and smoke spread rapidly in case of fire, raising concerns about large-scale casualties, making initial response crucial. Jeongneung Tunnel is 1,650 meters long, and this drill focuses on extinguishing the fire within 10 minutes, the golden time for protecting lives, and quickly evacuating drivers inside the tunnel to the outside.

The drill will be conducted with 45 personnel and 15 vehicles from five agencies, including the corporation, the police station, the fire station, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Urban Expressway Patrol, and others. The drill will check the step-by-step cooperation and collaboration system from situation reporting to on-site command, including ?quick fire point recognition and situation transmission by tunnel staff ?initial response such as first suppression on-site and operation of disaster prevention equipment ?rapid citizen evacuation ?fire suppression and traffic control in case of fire.

The corporation conducts routine internal drills and an annual joint drill with related agencies to strengthen initial response capabilities in case of fires or accidents inside tunnels. Director Lee Hang-yeong said, “We will continuously maintain the facilities to reduce accidents inside tunnels and strengthen the safety of users through practical drills with related agencies to prepare for fire accidents and others.”