The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters is introducing new policies this year to enhance the everyday safety of residents, including providing fire prevention supplies to small-scale lodging facilities.
The safety equipment support project for small-scale lodging facilities aims to eliminate electrical factors, which are cited as a major cause of fires in such accommodations, and to improve the environment so that swift response and safe evacuation are possible in the event of a fire.
First, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will supply fire prevention safety items, such as automatic fire-extinguishing patches for electrical fire prevention and evacuation safety manuals, to 1,931 lodging facilities that are five stories or fewer and do not have sprinklers installed.
In addition, fire safety inspections will be conducted at 5,042 fire-prone lodging facilities in the province to check for electrical hazards such as old electrical appliances and to provide guidance on using electrical products that meet the proper ratings and capacities.
Furthermore, evacuation drills and safety education will be conducted through checks on the adequacy of emergency descent devices, inspections of evacuation and fire prevention facilities, and the operation of Fire Safety Week for lodging facilities.
The Fire and Disaster Headquarters will also support "Residential Fire Safety Insurance" for approximately 380,000 vulnerable households in the province.
The beneficiaries include a total of 379,813 households in Gyeonggi-do registered as recipients of basic livelihood security and low-income households. The total project budget is 1.7 billion won, with about 1.4 billion won for insurance premiums fully funded by the province, and 300 million won supported by the Korea Fire Insurance Association.
The coverage period is one year, and the benefits include: up to 30 million won for residential property damage, up to 7 million won for household goods damage, up to 100 million won for liability due to accidental fire, and up to 2 million won (200,000 won per day) for temporary accommodation expenses.
Policyholders can file insurance claims 24 hours a day through the Residential Fire Safety Insurance Claims Center (1660-1039), and claims can be submitted via fax, email, Kakao channel, and other methods.
The reward system for reporting fire hazards is also being expanded. Under the revised "Ordinance on the Operation of the Reward System for Reporting Illegal Acts Related to Firefighting Facilities in Gyeonggi-do," which was amended in November last year, the scope of reportable acts has been expanded from "emergency exit violations" to all illegal acts related to firefighting facilities. The monthly reward limit per person has also been raised from five cases to ten cases. Additionally, even if the monthly limit is exceeded, rewards can now be given once per month as the system has been improved.
As a result, not only acts such as arbitrarily blocking emergency exits or stacking items in front of them, but also illegal management of firefighting facilities, such as neglecting broken fire pumps or cutting power to fire alarms, can now be reported.
Residents who witness violations can submit reports with supporting evidence to the local fire station or the "Firefighting Facilities Reporting Center" within 48 hours.
Choi Yongcheol, Acting Director of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, "Fire risks differ by space-whether in lodging facilities, homes, or multi-use facilities-but policy should follow a unified direction. Starting in 2026, Gyeonggi-do is establishing a comprehensive policy system to manage all stages of fire prevention, response, and recovery."
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