Nghe An: Promoting neighborhood groups in fire prevention and control.
From being passive in fire prevention and control efforts, residents in many residential areas of Nghe An have proactively coordinated and responded promptly thanks to the "Safe Neighborhood Fire Prevention and Control Team" model, contributing to limiting damage and creating a strong shift in awareness of fire prevention and control responsibilities from each household.
motto"4 on-site”
Since its implementation in late May 2023, the "Safe Neighborhood Fire Prevention and Fighting Group" model in Residential Group No. 1, Khoa Da resettlement area, Hung Tay commune (formerly), now Hung Nguyen commune, has been effectively contributing to fire prevention and fighting.
Initially comprising 7 neighboring households, the neighborhood group was organized according to the "4-at-the-spot" principle (on-the-spot forces, on-the-spot command, on-the-spot equipment, and on-the-spot logistics). The households equipped themselves with fire-fighting equipment such as fire alarms, emergency buttons, portable fire extinguishers, rope ladders, bolt cutters, and demolition hammers. Simultaneously, residents were instructed to install the 114 app for quick fire reporting, trained in emergency response skills, provided with guidance materials, and fostered a spirit of readiness to respond to any situation.
Mr. Phan Van Khuyen, head of the neighborhood fire safety group, shared: “Since the model was launched, the group has not recorded any fire incidents in the residential area. However, demonstrating a proactive spirit, the group coordinated with functional forces to extinguish a forest fire in the Dai Hue area in July 2024. When the fire was detected less than 1 km from the neighborhood group, the households quickly mobilized people and equipment to be present at the fire during the “golden period,” extinguishing the fire promptly at around 8 PM and dealing with the subsequent outbreak at around 2 AM the next morning. Thanks to the timely response, damage was minimized.”
According to Lieutenant Luu Cam Ly, a police officer in Hung Nguyen commune: From 7 households with 34 members, the model has now expanded to 15 households with 73 members, many of which combine residential and business purposes such as restaurants and guesthouses – places with a high risk of fire. “The encouraging thing is that people's awareness has changed significantly. Previously, many people thought that fire prevention and control was the responsibility of the authorities. Now, they understand that it is a shared responsibility, an individual responsibility in protecting their families, neighbors, and community,” Lieutenant Ly emphasized.
Not only in Hung Nguyen commune, the model of neighborhood-based fire safety groups has been replicated in many other localities. In Group 4, Block 67, Hong Son ward (formerly), now Truong Vinh ward, the model with 8 adjacent households has been operating effectively since its launch in March 2023. Residents here say that from being passive, they now actively participate in fire prevention and control, fostering a spirit of solidarity and readiness to support each other in case of an incident.
According to residents, several streets in the area sell many flammable goods, such as Le Hong Son, Tran Dang Ninh, Le Huan, Cao Thang, Ta Cong Luyen, and Nguyen Canh Chan. Furthermore, many of the streets are narrow, lack natural water sources, and are far from hydrants, making firefighting difficult in the event of a fire. Therefore, proactively implementing fire prevention and firefighting models is essential.
Replicate the model and raise awareness of fire prevention.
According to the latest statistics, to date, Nghe An province has established 1,118 "Safe Neighborhood Fire Prevention and Fighting Team" models, 2,190 public fire hydrants, and 751,196 households (reaching 89.9%) out of a total of 834,762 households have equipped themselves with portable fire extinguishers at home.
In addition, the dissemination of knowledge about fire prevention and firefighting has been widely implemented through various forms: direct communication, skills training, distribution of leaflets, instructional videos on social media and television, etc. This has created a strong shift in the awareness and sense of responsibility of the people.
Many small fires were detected and extinguished early on, thanks to the proactive efforts of local forces. The "Neighborhood Fire Safety Team" model has proven effective as a rapid warning and response system in residential areas. When a fire occurs, if one household detects it and presses the alarm, the remaining households in the team will immediately receive the signal and coordinate the response. This model not only contributes to effective fire prevention but also strengthens solidarity and mutual support among households in the team.
From viewing fire prevention and firefighting as solely the responsibility of the authorities, people have now clearly recognized it as the responsibility and duty of every individual and household. The neighborhood group model not only helps to promptly detect and handle fire and explosion incidents but also serves as a bridge between professional forces and the community.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Hanh - Deputy Head of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department, Nghe An Provincial Police
However, despite the positive results, many limitations remain. In the first nine months of 2025, the province experienced 45 fires, of which 18 involved family homes or mixed-use buildings used for production and business. The main reasons were the ineffective operation of some fire safety models, a lack of regular fire drills; and many households not having adequate fire-fighting equipment or a second escape route – especially in high-rise buildings.
In the coming period, to continue promoting the effectiveness of existing models and overcome the aforementioned limitations, along with continuing to implement directives from higher authorities, most recently the directive of the Provincial People's Committee in Official Letter No. 9406/UBND-NC dated September 9, 2025, on continuing to strengthen fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue work for residential areas, family homes, and houses used for both living and production/business purposes, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department will continue to promote the dissemination of fire prevention and rescue knowledge, focusing on replicating models such as "Safe Neighborhood Fire Prevention and Fighting Teams," "Public Firefighting Points," and the "Opening a Second Escape Route" movement. Implementation will prioritize key areas with high population density, residential groups, and high-risk adjacent housing areas.
Direct the commune-level police force to advise the People's Committee at the same level to organize a review and complete inventory of models that have been built but do not meet the criteria (such as neighborhood groups with insufficient number of affiliated households, public fire stations not appropriately located), and at the same time, develop a plan to rectify, upgrade, or adjust them.
Provide guidance on maintaining the effective operation of established models, ensuring that firefighting equipment and vehicles are always in a state of readiness. Organize regular firefighting drills for neighborhood groups to improve on-site response skills and proactively and effectively respond to incidents.
Strengthen training and skill development in fire prevention, firefighting, and evacuation for key target groups: students, workers, firefighting forces at facilities, households, and businesses... Training will be organized in flexible formats, suitable to the conditions and characteristics of each locality and target group.
Coordinate with the People's Committees at the commune and ward levels to promote the "My Home Has a Fire Extinguisher" movement, and consider including this content in the criteria for evaluating the titles of "Cultural Family" and "Cultural Residential Area" annually, in order to create widespread emulation motivation in the community.
Mobilize social resources from businesses and philanthropists to support the provision of fire extinguishers for disadvantaged households. Simultaneously, research and propose a plan for support from local budgets to comprehensively implement the policy of equipping facilities with fire prevention and firefighting equipment.
At the same time, strengthen state management of fire prevention and fighting in accordance with the regulations of Decree No. 105/2025/ND-CP, focusing on integrating fire safety requirements into the management of planning, construction, and licensing of facilities and residential buildings combined with businesses, in order to prevent fires and explosions from the very beginning.
