Illegal Storage Items Pervasive Throughout Staircases, Fire Doors Left Open
Experts Urge Efforts in Education and Promotion to Expand Awareness of Illegality
[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Taewon] Emergency exits and staircases used as fire evacuation routes should not have objects stored around them and the doors must always remain open. However, illegal activities are still widespread across Seoul. Around 8 p.m. on the 7th, at a commercial building in Geumho-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, illegal storage was found on the fire evacuation stairs on 4 out of the 7 floors of the building. Entrances and stairs piled with exercise equipment, interior fixtures, and trash appeared to obstruct the opening of doors and emergency evacuation. Some doors were locked and would not open. Doors leading to emergency stairs used by facilities such as gyms occupying entire floors were firmly locked. Despite several attempts to open the doors, only music and exercise sounds could be heard inside, and the doors did not open.
There were also places where wooden blocks were placed under the door to keep it open, despite fire department stickers instructing to "Keep fire doors closed." Around 8:30 p.m., at a commercial building in Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, doors were wide open for convenient passage, making the attached instruction stickers meaningless. Fire doors are designed to block fire and smoke to secure evacuation time in case of fire.
Around 8 p.m. on the 7th, a commercial building in Geumho-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Exercise equipment, interior fixtures, and trash are piled up on the stairs. Photo by Taewon Choi skking@
Illegal storage or locked conditions still persist in fire evacuation routes such as emergency exits, which are life-saving escape routes. According to the Firefighting Facilities Installation and Management Act (Firefighting Facilities Act) on the 8th, if evacuation facilities and fire prevention facilities such as stairs, corridors, and emergency exits are closed, damaged, or obstructed by objects or obstacles without justifiable reasons, causing hindrance to evacuation or firefighting activities, a fine of up to 3 million KRW may be imposed. If correction orders are not followed, the responsible person may face imprisonment of up to 3 years or a fine of up to 15 million KRW.
Emergency exits are known as "life routes." During the 2017 Jecheon Sports Center fire, which resulted in 29 deaths, the sauna emergency exit was reportedly blocked by storage racks, which contributed to the spread of casualties. The evacuation route was blocked by stored items, preventing the crowd from escaping in time. In fact, 20 out of the 29 deceased were found at the entrance of the women's sauna on the 2nd floor of the building.
Experts point out that education and publicity efforts should be strengthened to raise public awareness of illegal activities. Professor In Sejin of the Department of Fire and Disaster Prevention at Woosong University said, "Stairs and fire doors in buildings are directly related to human life," adding, "The inconvenience caused by not piling objects on stairs and keeping fire doors closed is small, but the awareness that it can protect one's life and property must spread."
He continued, "In the long term, fire prevention education should be thoroughly conducted starting from mandatory education, and in the short term, fire authorities should put more effort into publicity and enforcement."
Meanwhile, some fire stations operate a reward system for reporting illegal activities to raise awareness and safety consciousness regarding securing emergency exits. The emergency exit reporting reward system provides rewards to those who report violations such as closure of emergency exits. Reportable violations include closure (including locking) and blocking of emergency exits, and illegal acts such as closure or damage of entrances, stairs, and corridors.
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