Gyeonggi Fire Department Conducts 'Fire Status Survey' at 3,051 Elderly Welfare Facilities

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters will conduct a survey on electrical safety and other conditions at 3,051 elderly care facilities across the province by the 22nd to strengthen fire safety in elderly welfare facilities.

During this period, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 11th that it will focus on investigating 26 safety items across 8 categories, including fire handling, electrical safety, ease of evacuation, characteristics of elderly residents, and the safety management expertise of staff, targeting facilities that provide convenience to the elderly such as 1,629 elderly nursing facilities, 779 day and night care services, and 520 elderly communal living homes.

In particular, since fires caused by aging electrical equipment account for a significant portion of all fires, the usage period of aging heating and cooling devices will be closely checked.

Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters Exterior View

Based on the survey results, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters plans to assess the fire risk levels of elderly welfare facilities. Following this, fire safety education will be promoted for facility personnel, and fire safety inspections will be intensively conducted at facilities with high fire risk.

Additionally, by February next year, proposals for institutional improvements to the government will be made to prevent fires and enhance safety at elderly welfare facilities, and the outcomes of these initiatives will be analyzed.

Jo Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, "We will conduct a thorough survey to create a safe elderly welfare environment and significantly reduce the fire risks at high-risk elderly welfare facilities based on the results. We ask all personnel involved in elderly welfare facilities to actively cooperate with this survey for the safety of their facilities."

Meanwhile, as of the end of last year, the elderly population aged 65 and over in the province was 2,171,451, accounting for 22% of the national total. Furthermore, there are 16,396 elderly welfare facilities, the highest number nationwide.