Seocho-gu and Seocho Fire Station Conduct Joint Firefighting Drill for Electric Vehicle Fire Response

Public Parking Lot on the East Side of Maehun Citizen's Forest Opens on the 2nd

The scene of the joint fire response drill for electric vehicle fires at the Maeheon Citizen's Forest East Public Parking Lot. Provided by Seocho-gu.

Seocho-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jeon Seong-su) will conduct a joint fire drill with Seocho Fire Station to prepare for electric vehicle fires on the 2nd from 10 to 11 a.m. at the east side of Maehun Citizen's Forest public parking lot.

This drill targets 46 managers of public parking lots and publicly operated parking facilities. It is conducted jointly with Seocho Fire Station to strengthen fire suppression capabilities and minimize human and material damage by teaching effective response methods to the rapidly increasing electric vehicle fire incidents.

The drill simulates an actual fire situation and proceeds in the order of ▲education on electric vehicle fire response measures ▲119 emergency call and evacuation guidance ▲initial suppression using fire response kits installed in the public parking lot ▲fire suppression using a mobile water tank.

In particular, electric vehicles have batteries located under the vehicle, making it difficult to extinguish fires using fire extinguishers or water. Additionally, there is a risk of explosion due to thermal runaway, where the battery temperature rapidly rises to a high temperature. Through this drill, participants aim to learn effective response methods in advance and respond safely to electric vehicle fires.

Meanwhile, Seocho-gu plans to quickly establish an electric vehicle fire response system and install fire response kits at a total of 46 locations, including public parking lots and publicly operated parking facilities, by the end of this month. Especially, thermal imaging cameras will be additionally installed in public parking lots along with the electric vehicle fire response kits for 24-hour monitoring.

Furthermore, recognizing the need for electric vehicle fire suppression equipment in apartment complex parking lots where large-scale damage is expected in case of fire, the ‘Apartment Complex Electric Vehicle Fire Initial Suppression Equipment Installation Support Project’ will be promoted.

This year, a pilot project will be conducted targeting 10 apartment complexes, and selected participants can receive 50% support for the installation cost of the fire response kits per location. Following this pilot project, Seocho-gu plans to install fire response kits by April next year at 161 apartment complexes out of 259 in the district, which are mandatory sites for electric vehicle charging facilities and dedicated parking spaces.

Mayor Jeon Seong-su said, “This joint fire drill was conducted to equip rapid and safe response capabilities suitable for electric vehicle fires,” and added, “We will continue efforts to make Seocho a safe place where residents can live with peace of mind.”