The National Fire Agency announced a set of measures during a press briefing Tuesday to allow for quicker dispatch of fire authorities to sites needing urgent response nationwide, according to the “8-minute peak arrival theory.”
Fire authorities in South Korea have referred to the 8-minute peak arrival theory for rapid response to sites where fires need to be exstinguished over the last five years. According to the theory, it takes about eight minutes after a fire breaks out for all objects at the scene to be heated to a point where flames grow larger and erupt simultaneously. At this critical phase, survival becomes nearly impossible for residents in and near the fire.
Since 2020, fire authorities have set a target for fire trucks to arrive within seven minutes of an emergency report being issued. As a result, by 2024, responders arrived within seven minutes 80.8 percent of the time in the eight metropolitan cities and 69.2 percent across all 18 cities and provinces nationwide.
Though a seven-minute response rate was observed on average of 67 percent of the time nationwide over the last five years, the fire agency stated that significant regional disparities were caused by increased traffic volume, vehicle congestion and delays at intersections, narrow alleyways and illegally parked vehicles along emergency routes.
To minimize such limitations, the agency noted that it will begin to expand the emergency vehicle priority signal system starting this year, which allows emergency response vehicles to secure the right of way when entering congested intersections, hospital transport routes and accident-prone areas.
Through collaborating with local governments and the police in 2024, the fire agency introduced the priority signal system at 5,318 intersections nationwide. As of this year, the system operates at all 27,772 intersections located in 18 provinces nationwide.
Also, the installation of traffic signal control systems in fire stations nationwide, which allows signals in front of a fire station to be controlled with a switch inside the station, will be completed this year. This will allow for the safe and efficient entry of fire trucks onto roads.
From this year, the access system for emergency responders such as fire authorities will also be expanded nationwide. Known as the "119 Pass," the system allows responders to quickly pass through communal entrances of apartment complexes, which are normally locked.
According to the agency, the 119 Pass is being piloted in nine provincial areas and cities, including Busan, Ulsan and Gangwon Province. By the end of this year, the agency aims to install the 119 Pass system at 20 percent of the 11,000 apartment complexes nationwide and 40 percent of all apartment complexes by 2026.
To address areas that are difficult for fire trucks to access, the agency will continue to cooperate with local governments by improving road conditions based on the specifications of domestic fire vehicles, as well as strictly addressing illegal parking in fire lanes and areas near firefighting water facilities.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
