The National Fire Agency said on the 1st that it will tighten installation standards for fire protection systems to improve safety at fire‑prone facilities such as small underground parking lots and lithium battery factories.
The move was pursued to prevent a recurrence of major accidents such as the fire in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Incheon's Cheongna district and the lithium battery factory fire in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and to establish safety standards for facilities flagged as blind spots for fire protection system installation.
Going forward, regardless of size, all underground parking lots will be required to install ▲ hose connection and water spray systems ▲ emergency alarm systems ▲ standalone alarm‑type detectors. Previously, only underground parking lots with a floor area of 200㎡ or more were required to install sprinklers and related systems.
Lithium battery factories must install visual alarm devices. The measure takes into account work characteristics that make it hard to perceive voice alarms, such as wearing hearing protection. In addition, factories with gas facilities will be required to install gas leak alarms.
For road tunnels, the installation standard for a "fire department connection and water supply pipe system," which allows firefighters to send fire engine water into the tunnel, was strengthened by lowering the length threshold from "1,000m or longer" to "500m or longer."
The National Fire Agency also decided to fix rules that are out of sync with on‑site realities. When expanding a building, cases partitioned with 60‑minute fire doors will be clearly recognized as eligible for special provisions on fire protection system installation, easing administrative burdens. It also cleaned up interpretation issues that have caused confusion in the field by clarifying ▲ the scope of items subject to type approval for fire protection products ▲ removing distinctions among technical personnel ▲ and clarifying what counts as practical experience.
Acting Commissioner Kim Seung-ryong of the National Fire Agency said, "We will strengthen support‑oriented administration so that laws and standards function properly in the field and build a safety environment that the public can feel."