"Fire Facilities and Construction, Ask the Fire Technology Civil Service Center"

Processed a total of 26,799 cases last year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 2nd that since August 2020, it has been operating the 'Fire Technology Civil Petition Center' to comprehensively handle civil petitions related to fire facilities, fire construction, and multi-use businesses.

The Fire Technology Civil Petition Center is composed of nine dedicated fire officers with experience and qualifications in the relevant fields, handling civil petitions regarding interpretations and application standards related to 114 relevant laws and administrative rules, including the Fire Facilities Act.

Last year, the number of civil petitions totaled 26,799, averaging 107 cases per day, with each civil petition officer handling an average of 2,978 cases annually. This represents an increase of about 1.9% compared to 26,298 cases the previous year.

Since the establishment of the Fire Technology Civil Petition Center, the satisfaction rate of civil petitions on the National Sinmungo (People's Petition) platform has improved. It was 79% in 2019 before the center was established, but rose by about 7.6% to 85% as of the previous year. This increase is mainly attributed to the reduction in the average processing time from 13.5 days in 2019 to 8.5 days currently, shortening the response time by 5.5 days and promptly resolving petitioners' inquiries.

Furthermore, for complex civil petitions that are difficult for the Fire Technology Civil Petition Center to handle, the 'Fire Facilities Agora' research council of the National Fire Agency, composed of officials from the National Fire Agency and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, professors, and fire technology experts, clearly presents standards for the application and interpretation of laws. The major inquiries received are compiled into a 'Q&A Collection' which is posted on the National Fire Agency website for public access.

Meanwhile, the Fire Technology Civil Petition Center plans to continuously improve and supplement systematic standards by regularly reviewing and improving laws and standards that need to be newly revised, such as areas with concentrated or rapidly increasing civil petitions, and reflecting these changes when laws are enacted or amended.

Hwang Gi-seok, Director of the Fire Prevention Bureau at the National Fire Agency, said, “The Fire Technology Civil Petition Center was established as a proactive administrative organization to best resolve the public’s questions regarding laws related to fire facilities. We will strive to establish it as a place that provides higher quality civil petition services to the public in the future.”