Emergency air mat saves 2 lives as fire authorities further efforts for safer, updated equipment

[Anchor]

In this fire, the air mat played a significant role in rescuing people.

Next, we have Kim Hye-ju with the report.

[Report]

In a situation where thick smoke is constantly rising, a man is sitting on the window ledge waiting for rescue.

Firefighters below are repeatedly explaining how to jump onto the air mat.

["You need to jump as far as you can, one by one."]

It is important to land in the center of the mat to land safely.

A total of two people were rescued using the air mat in this fire.

[Kim Gun-woo/Team Leader of Safety Support Team, Ansan Fire Department: "Fortunately, the two individuals who jumped onto the air mat are currently undergoing simple non-emergency examinations at the hospital without any issues."]

The air mat used for the rescue was prepared for fires in buildings reaching 10 floors.

It was kept by the fire department as supplementary equipment for rescues in high-rise buildings, and it served its purpose well.

Moreover, the calm execution of the rescue operation was made possible due to reinforced training following the Bucheon hotel fire in August, where two people lost their lives from the air mat flipping or landing on the edge of the mat.

Fire officials stated that after the Bucheon incident, they inspected the mats stored in fire stations nationwide and conducted operational training at each fire station.

However, the degraded air mats and the lack of standardized usage methods remain challenges to be addressed.

[Gong Ha-sung/Professor of Fire and Disaster Management, Woosuk University: "(Compared to the past) Recently produced air safety mats have excellent shock absorption features, so it is advisable to use the most recently produced air safety mats whenever possible...."]

The fire authorities plan to strengthen performance testing standards to enhance the safety of air mats and secure funding to replace outdated equipment.

This is KBS News, Kim Hye-ju.