On March 8, the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced that it would conduct a month-long survey of 1,000 foreigners working in Gyeonggi Province regarding fire safety awareness, using the results to customize safety education for foreigners and promote fire prevention policies.

The fire safety awareness surveys will be conducted through a questionnaire that consists of 16 questions in three areas: general information (nationality, gender, age, residence period, etc.); knowledge of firefighting (experience in fire safety education, use of fire extinguishers and fire hydrants, etc.); and practice in firefighting (including checking the locations of fire extinguishers and emergency exits in workplaces).

To overcome potential language barriers, the questionnaire was produced in a number of languages including Korean, English, Chinese, and Vietnamese so as to ensure ease of understanding.

Each fire station plans to conduct this survey in collaboration with foreign worker support centers and multicultural family support centers.

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters will analyze the results of the fire safety awareness survey for use in tailoring fire safety education for foreigners as well as for promoting fire prevention policies.

Earlier, the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters took the lead in reducing foreign worker casualties by further strengthening fire prevention at dilapidated foreign worker employment sites and dormitories. In January and February, it conducted fire safety consultations for 24,000 foreigners working in Gyeonggi Province, and plans to supply 400 fire extinguishers and 800 residential fire alarms to 200 dormitories at small factories this year.

Cho Sun-ho, Chief Superintendent of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said “As of September last year, more than one out of every three foreigners in Korea lived in Gyeonggi Province, and as foreign workers steadily flow in, measures to prevent fires among foreigners have become essential… We will undertake fire-fighting policies as well as customized safety education among foreign workers based on fire safety awareness surveys.”