Strengthening Safety Nets for Care Services and Aging Multi-Family Housing
Ensuring Robust 24-Hour Childcare Support Policies
Mayor Park Heongjoon: "Let's Protect Citizens from Fires"
Following a series of recent fires in aging apartment complexes that resulted in casualties, the city of Busan has taken action to protect vulnerable groups from disasters.
On August 4, Busan announced the formation of a "Fire Prevention Task Force for Disaster-Vulnerable Groups" led by Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Lee Joonseung, and stated that comprehensive measures would be actively pursued.
The task force comprises 14 departments and agencies, and will hold regular meetings once a month to discuss fire prevention strategies tailored to local needs, with the goal of eliminating safety blind spots for disaster-vulnerable populations. Key initiatives include strengthening 24-hour childcare support, conducting a full survey of aging multi-family housing, providing safety education and training for citizens, carrying out public awareness campaigns, distributing safety equipment to vulnerable groups, and implementing safety measures at social welfare facilities. Busan plans to further detail these measures in line with the central government's comprehensive policy announcement.
To ensure that children can grow up safely without gaps in care throughout their life cycle, Busan plans to establish an AI-based "Integrated Childcare Call Center" next year. The city has allocated additional budget for nighttime childcare allowances for children from vulnerable groups, and will expand the "365 Open Part-Time Daycare Centers"?which offer care on weekends and holidays?to 10 locations.
In addition, after-school care institutions for school-aged children will extend their evening hours until 10 p.m., and the number of such institutions will increase from the current 26 to 58 by 2026.
A full survey and safety inspection of aging multi-family housing, where many disaster-vulnerable people reside, will also be conducted. Busan will carry out joint inspections?together with the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, and private experts?of 3,004 multi-family housing complexes without sprinkler systems by the end of August.
Safety education will also be provided to elementary schools near aging apartments and to residents of apartments at risk of fire. The city completed training at 208 out of 252 elementary schools before summer vacation, and will continue with the remaining schools at the start of the second semester. In addition, resident-centered fire drills will be conducted at 42 high-risk apartment complexes by the end of August.
Public awareness campaigns on fire incidents and evacuation procedures will be strengthened. The city is conducting campaigns via social media and YouTube, focusing on accident cases caused by improper use of electrical devices such as power strips.
The distribution of safety equipment will also be accelerated. Busan will invest a total of 1.1 billion won to supply electrical safety power strips and standalone alarm-type detectors to 17,000 households. Priority will be given to households in aging multi-family housing and those with incomes at or below 75% of the median income, with distribution to be completed by next year.
Separately, the city will verify the effectiveness of wooden fire doors in blocking smoke and heat during the early stages of a fire through a pilot project. Busan Urban Corporation will distribute fire extinguishers to all units in public rental apartments and install simplified sprinklers in selected units as a pilot.
Additionally, inspections and equipment upgrades at social welfare facilities will be promoted. The city is working to ensure that sprinklers are installed at 34 welfare centers currently lacking them, and will conduct regular safety inspections and annual evacuation drills at daycare centers, nursing hospitals, and similar facilities. From next year, a "Fire Prevention Safety Task Force" composed of retired electrical, gas, and fire safety experts will be deployed to support prevention activities at facilities used by disaster-vulnerable groups, such as senior welfare centers.
Busan Mayor Park Heongjoon emphasized, "We will thoroughly implement these measures to ensure that no more precious lives are lost to fire, and will further strengthen the city's safety net through a robust care system and expanded fire prevention infrastructure."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
