Seoul to fund fire safety equipment for childcare centers, elderly care facilities

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will subsidize the installation of fire prevention equipment in buildings used by vulnerable populations, including childcare centers, kindergartens, convalescent hospitals, facilities for people with disabilities and elderly care facilities. The support covers costs for equipment such as sprinklers and circuit breakers.

The city announced Wednesday that it had promulgated and put into effect an ordinance on supporting fire prevention safety facilities in buildings used by vulnerable groups, with enforcement beginning Oct. 14.

The ordinance allows the city to cover all or part of the installation and replacement costs of fire prevention equipment — within its budget — for buildings primarily used by those who would have difficulty evacuating quickly in a fire, including children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Buildings covered under the ordinance include those housing facilities for people with disabilities, mental health facilities, elderly welfare facilities, convalescent hospitals, child welfare facilities, childcare centers, kindergartens, youth welfare facilities, facilities for homeless people and single-parent family welfare facilities.

Eligible equipment includes sprinklers and compact sprinklers, electrical safety devices for overload and short-circuit protection, automatic fire suppression units for outlets, small-space fire extinguishing tools and standalone smoke detectors. The ordinance extends support beyond fire suppression equipment to devices that prevent fires before they start — such as those that cut off electrical faults or overloads — as well as equipment that limits the spread of fire in its early stages.

In addition, the city may provide education on fire prevention safety and the proper use of gas and electrical facilities in buildings used by vulnerable groups.

The ordinance was originally introduced with a focus on preventing electrical fires, but the Seoul Metropolitan Council broadened its scope during deliberations to cover fires of all causes, not just those of electrical origin.

The city explained its rationale for enacting the ordinance, saying buildings primarily used by vulnerable groups — such as elderly care facilities, facilities for people with disabilities and childcare centers — have a high need for fire safety management, and that the characteristics of their users make rapid evacuation particularly difficult, raising the risk of mass casualties.

It added that the ordinance aims to prevent fires and protect the lives and property of vulnerable groups by supporting the installation of safety equipment in such buildings and establishing a framework for related education and safety inspections.