20/KLOC-In May, 2004, a convalescent hospital in Jeollanam-do, South Korea caught fire and 22 people were killed. The accident only happened again in the past four years. Yonhap News Agency believes that this shows that the fire response system of Korean hospitals has not been improved.
Korean experts believe that hospitals are different from other large public places, and there are many patients with mobility difficulties, including flammable chemicals, bedding and other cotton products. Small fires can also cause large-scale casualties, so a strong response system is needed.
South Korean media and public analysis said that there are many critically ill patients and elderly patients in the hospital who can't escape on their own; Medical institutions have weak safety awareness and insufficient fire fighting equipment; The South Korean government's ineffective response and loopholes in relevant laws have led to frequent hospital fire tragedies.
Patients with mobility problems lack fire drills in hospitals.
The South Korean fire department said that when the fire broke out, the critically ill patients in the hospital had difficulty in moving and could not escape, which was a typical case of "hospital fire".
Yonhap News Agency believes that one of the reasons for the large number of casualties caused by the fire in Sejong Hospital in Yang Mi is that many patients can't escape from the scene, especially the critically ill patients who rely on ventilators and other equipment to maintain their lives. In order to transfer these patients, family members and medical staff are also facing serious life threats. According to Yonhap News Agency, most of the victims inhaled a lot of toxic gas and died in the process of being transferred to other hospitals.
In addition, hospital related people analyzed that although the hospital also conducted fire drills, it was difficult for people in the fire to effectively help patients who could not take care of themselves in the face of sudden fires.
Hospitals with weak safety awareness are not equipped with fire prevention and extinguishing equipment.
Some people think that despite the inevitable factors mentioned above, the weak hospital safety awareness is the more serious reason.
Korean experts pointed out that if hospitals receive patients who can't move independently, they should install fire-fighting equipment such as automatic sprinklers, or be equipped with fire-proof areas such as fire doors. After the fire broke out in Jeollanam-do Hospital on 20 14, the Korean government increased the requirement for the hospital to install automatic sprinklers, but Sejong Hospital, where the fire broke out, did not install them.
Cui Lingxiang, a professor of fire safety management at Daegu Health University, believes that in the event of a fire, even if there are more drills at ordinary times, it is not easy to escape, so basic fire-fighting facilities must be equipped.
South Korean media questioned the government's ineffective response to accidents and loopholes in the law.
Judging from the 17 results of safety spot check of public and private medical institutions submitted by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare to the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee in 20 14, Korean hospitals lack plans for patient transfer and crisis response.
The survey results show that the sampled hospitals generally can't guarantee the smooth emergency passage and lack escape facilities and signal lights. In addition, the frequent flow of medical staff, some staff did not receive the corresponding fire knowledge and safety education, and they were at a loss when the disaster occurred, which also reduced their coping ability.
However, after several years, the above problems have not been effectively solved. Yonhap News Agency said that the Korean Ministry of Administration and Security conducts spot checks on medical institutions with weak security every year. However, despite the inspection of the equipment, it is still unable to respond effectively after the disaster.
According to the Korean report, Sejong Hospital in Yang Mi, where the fire broke out, inspected the fire-fighting facilities six months before the incident, saying that no problems were found. According to the report, the hospital did not entrust a fire-fighting institution with professional qualifications, but conducted a "self-examination".
According to the current laws in Korea, medical institutions over 5,000 square meters must be inspected by fire control institutions, but medical institutions under 5,000 square meters can arbitrarily choose to entrust fire control institutions or conduct their own inspections. Therefore, some Korean netizens questioned the relevant laws, saying that it is not that medical institutions are not law-abiding, but that there are loopholes in the law.
The problem that Korean society is most concerned about in this fire is that hospitals are not equipped with automatic sprinklers is similar. According to the South Korean side, according to the Korean Fire Protection Facilities Law, general buildings with an area of 1000 square meters, such as medical institutions, must be equipped with automatic sprinkler systems, while hospitals cover an area of 394.78 square meters, which is not required. Some Koreans angrily questioned, "Can a life of less than 1000 square meters be ignored?" Call for immediate revision of relevant laws.