Retired Firefighters Engaged in Safety Guardian Activities for Fire-Vulnerable Elderly

Safety Education for Elderly Living Alone
Visiting Over 3,000 Households Annually

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] According to statistics from the National Fire Safety System of the National Fire Agency, among the fatalities caused by safety accidents, 65-year-old seniors account for 51.8%, and it was found that most of the elderly safety accidents correspond to casualties caused by residential fires.

In response, the National Fire Agency announced on the 5th that it will provide the "Silver Generation Safety Keeper Service" utilizing retired firefighters to establish a social safety net for fire-vulnerable groups such as elderly people living alone.

The "Fire-Vulnerable Silver Generation Safety Keeper" is a policy project that has been operating for four years since 2019. Retired firefighters with accumulated fire safety knowledge and field experience visit households of elderly people living alone to conduct ▲ health and welfare checks, ▲ installation of basic residential fire safety equipment (fire extinguishers, standalone smoke detectors), ▲ removal of fire risk factors, and ▲ practical fire safety education.

Additionally, to prevent safety accidents that may occur in daily life for the elderly, such as falls, the service also provides daily life safety services by improving inconvenient factors.

Last year, retired firefighters in regions such as Gyeonggi, Jeonbuk, and Gyeongnam visited about 3,000 households of elderly people living alone annually to provide the "Silver Generation Safety Keeper Service."

Meanwhile, the "Fire-Vulnerable Silver Generation Safety Keeper Service" was selected as an excellent social contribution project for retired public officials by the Ministry of Personnel Management, achieving a twofold effect of protecting the safety of fire-vulnerable groups and creating jobs for retired firefighters.

Hong Young-geun, Planning and Coordination Officer of the National Fire Agency, said, "As this policy returns the professional knowledge and experience of retired firefighters to society and can eliminate safety blind spots, we plan to expand the project and its target groups in the future," adding, "We will continue to proactively monitor and strive for fire prevention to ensure that fire-vulnerable groups such as elderly people living alone do not face difficulties."