Gyeonggi Fire Department Strengthens Fire Drills in Foreign Resident Areas... First Drill on 22nd in Ansan

Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters and Ansan Fire Station conducted a comprehensive emergency rescue drill simulating an actual fire incident on the 22nd at a multicultural alternative school located in Ansan. Participants in the drill are taking a commemorative photo.

On the 22nd, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters and Ansan Fire Station conducted a comprehensive emergency rescue drill simulating an actual fire incident at a multicultural alternative school located in Ansan.

This drill was the first conducted after the Fire and Disaster Headquarters designated the ‘Ansan Multicultural Village Special Zone’ in Wongok-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan, an area densely populated by foreigners, as a ‘Fire Prevention Reinforcement Zone’ at the end of August.

The drill simulated a fire outbreak at the Global Multicultural Center, a multicultural alternative school in Ansan.

After receiving the report, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters deployed 66 personnel and 18 pieces of equipment from five organizations, including the Ansan Multicultural Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Ansan City authorities, to extinguish the fire.

Subsequently, emergency treatment was administered to the rescued patients based on severity classification, followed by transportation to hospitals. The drill concluded with site cleanup and discussions on emergency support for foreign victims.

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters plans to regularize annual fire safety inspections targeting 1,407 foreign-utilized facilities across the province and conduct fire safety education and training for foreigners to prevent fires in areas densely populated by foreigners.

Kim Hajun (Pakistan), commander of the Multicultural Volunteer Fire Brigade who participated in the drill, stated, "Foreigners find it difficult to assess situations due to limited Korean language comprehension, and especially foreign children face challenges in quick evacuation, making them more vulnerable to disasters. Alternative education institutions attended by foreign children are not officially recognized as schools, resulting in insufficient fire safety education and training. This large-scale fire safety training was a very valuable experience."

Meanwhile, from 2015 to 2022, over the past eight years, 23 foreigners lost their lives and 123 were injured or killed in fires occurring in Gyeonggi-do.