Sprinklers Enable Early Fire Response
Installation Not Mandatory for Buildings Built Before 2017
On the 22nd, a fire at a hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province resulted in 7 deaths and 12 injuries. One of the main reasons that worsened the damage in this fire was the absence of sprinklers. It is believed that if sprinklers had been installed, the damage could have been reduced, and there are calls to fill the gaps in fire safety facility management.
On the 23rd, the forensic investigation team is waiting to inspect the scene at a hotel fire site in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. The fire started around 7:40 PM yesterday, resulting in 7 deaths and 12 injuries among guests and others. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
The hotel in Bucheon where the fire occurred is an 8-story building, but since it was completed in 2003, it was not subject to mandatory sprinkler installation, so it was not illegal. According to the revised "Enforcement Decree of the Fire Safety Facilities Installation and Management Act" amended in 2017, sprinklers must be mandatorily installed in newly constructed buildings with six or more floors. Previously, this applied only to buildings with 11 or more floors, so buildings constructed before that are not retroactively subject to this law, except for some medical institutions.
In fact, most older buildings do not have sprinklers installed separately. Even if installed, they are often turned off considering smoking in guest rooms, so they frequently do not operate during fires. Park (58), who has been running a motel in Gwanak-gu, Seoul for 20 years, said, "There are fire extinguishers and fire alarms, but no separate sprinklers," adding, "Fire incidents seem to be increasing in lodging facilities these days, and even if I want to install them, the building owner is different, so I cannot do it freely." Kim (37), who works at a nearby motel, said, "The building was built 30 years ago, so I understand sprinklers were not installed," and added, "Many guests smoke in the rooms, so even if there were sprinklers, they might not be very effective."
Sprinklers are highly valued because they enable initial response to emergencies such as fires without people having to approach directly. Because of this, fire damage caused by the lack of sprinkler installation has been repeatedly occurring. On June 20th, a fire in a 16-story apartment in Gangnam-gu, Seoul was difficult to extinguish due to the absence of sprinklers. It was confirmed that residents and firefighters who responded were injured. In 2020, a fire in an older apartment in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, where sprinkler installation was not mandatory, also resulted in fatalities.
There are also problems when sprinklers are installed but do not operate. On the 1st, a fire involving an electric vehicle in an underground parking lot of an apartment in Seo-gu, Incheon caused significant damage because the sprinklers did not activate. Although abnormal signals were detected by the fire alarm system, it was revealed that the apartment manager arbitrarily pressed the "sprinkler standby operation valve interlock stop" button.
The scene of vehicles completely burned in a fire that occurred on the 1st in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Cheongna, Seo-gu, Incheon. About 40 vehicles in the underground parking lot were burned in the fire, and over 100 vehicles suffered heat and soot damage. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Fire authorities continue to conduct inspections, but since they follow the laws applicable at the time the building was constructed, the effect on safety is limited. Professor Baek Seung-ju of the Department of Fire Protection and Disaster Management at Open Cyber University explained, "For example, if a building was built 20 years ago, inspections are conducted according to the laws from 20 years ago," adding, "Even if fire authorities inspect twice a year, considering that the standards are not retroactively applied, it is difficult to consider it safe."
Similar accidents have been repeated for years, but the government has not presented any significant countermeasures. A Fire Agency official said, "Retroactive application of mandatory sprinkler installation is difficult except in special cases, so there has not been much discussion yet," and added, "Improvement will be possible only after discussions in the National Assembly and securing the budget."
In response, Kim Sang-hoon, the Policy Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, said at a party floor countermeasure meeting on the 23rd, "The Bucheon fire appears to have caused greater casualties because the fire could not be controlled early due to the absence of sprinklers," and added, "We will devise comprehensive fire prevention measures for old buildings where sprinklers are not mandatory."
Experts unanimously agreed that proactive measures for fire safety facility management are necessary. Professor Gong Ha-seong of the Department of Fire Protection and Disaster Management at Woosuk University said, "In lodging facilities, most first-time visitors are not familiar with the building structure, making evacuation difficult, so initial fire suppression is especially necessary," emphasizing, "Sprinklers can sufficiently fulfill that role, so retroactive application of installation obligations is needed."
Professor Baek also said, "While fire safety facilities themselves are advancing, if only regulations are followed, proper management may not be achieved," adding, "It is important to establish a system that ensures sprinklers and other equipment operate properly in emergencies."
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