Seoul's Seongdong-gu said its Seongdong-type XR (extended reality) fire safety education program, operated at the Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center, has established itself as a hands-on safety training course that builds residents' practical fire-response capabilities.
The program uses extended reality to recreate familiar local spaces, allowing residents to experience simulated fire scenarios and learn early-response techniques and evacuation procedures in environments they encounter in daily life.
Unlike conventional XR training set in generic classrooms or offices, the Seongdong program meticulously renders actual local landmarks — including Wangsimni Bitplex and Seongsu Station — to heighten immersion and realism.
Since the regular course launched in April, enrollment surpassed 600 participants within three months through June. The lifestyle-based immersive format has drawn strong interest from residents and quickly gained traction.
Classes are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center (6 Majoro 11-gil). Any district resident aged 6 or older may participate, and age-appropriate scenarios are available for children through adults.
Participants use wireless sensor-equipped fire extinguishers to practice suppressing fires, identify hazards based on scenarios drawn from spaces they use in everyday life, and learn evacuation procedures and initial-response techniques.
Certified Level 1 emergency medical technicians provide real-time feedback on posture and technique during training. After each session, participants receive numerical scores for response speed and extinguisher accuracy, allowing them to objectively assess their own capabilities.
Reservations and further details are available through the Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center's website or by phone.
One resident who took part said, "Seeing Wangsimni Bitplex — a place I visit all the time — appear on the virtual screen made it feel like a real situation." She added, "Instead of vague fear, I now feel confident that I can stay calm and respond properly if a fire breaks out."
The Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center opened in 2015 as Seoul's first community-based comprehensive safety experience facility and marks its 10th anniversary this year. It has provided diverse hands-on safety education to more than 80,000 district residents over the years, and the new XR fire safety program presents a fresh model for practical safety training.
Seongdong-gu District Mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said the program "focuses on building residents' practical ability to respond calmly to fire risks in their daily lives," adding that the district will "continue to strengthen field-linked, hands-on training programs to protect residents' lives and safety, and build Seongdong into the safest city it can be."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
