Strengthening fire prevention and fighting in businesses during hot season

Realizing this, many businesses in the province have proactively taken preventive measures, invested in equipment and facilities, and promoted the role of local forces. However, there are still some units that have not paid attention to this work, causing many potential safety risks for workers.

The "3 active, 3 ready" formations

At the end of 2022, Woosin Vina Co., Ltd. (VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park) coordinated with the Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police and VSIP Nghe An Co., Ltd. to organize a fire fighting plan drill for the entire area in 2022.

Hypothetical fire situation at Woosin Vina Co., Ltd.'s warehouse with a burned area of ​​more than 150m2². Firefighting forces put out the fire, rescued victims, and promptly prevented the fire from spreading to other areas. The successful drill contributed to improving the effectiveness of propaganda work on fire prevention and fighting and further promoting the role of grassroots firefighting forces in equipping them with practical knowledge of implementing firefighting and rescue plans.

Firefighting drill for the entire area in 2022 at VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park. Photo: Southeast Economic Zone Management Board

It is no coincidence that Woosin Vina Co., Ltd. was chosen as the rehearsal unit, because for a long time, this has been one of the typical enterprises that has performed well in fire prevention and fighting at VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park.

With more than 1,200 workers working in the electronics industry - a field with many potential risks of fire and explosion, the company has proactively equipped a very modern fire prevention and fighting system. In particular, the entire factory area and working positions of the company are equipped with automatic fire alarm systems. Automatic fire sprinkler systems are also carefully equipped to ensure maximum safety for workers, protect company assets as well as the safety of those participating in fire fighting.

Woosin Vina Co., Ltd. is one of the typical enterprises in ensuring full criteria of sustainable fire prevention and fighting over many years. Photo: Thanh Quynh

More specifically, the company also established a teamfire protection and preventionwith a total of more than 50 members. Trusted to take on the role of captain of the company's Fire Prevention and Fighting Team, Mr. Dang Van Phuong said: With the attention and facilitation of the company's Board of Directors, more than 50 outstanding individuals of the enterprise have participated in the training course organized by the Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police. After being granted a certificate, the Fire Prevention and Fighting Team was established in 2021.

The Fire Prevention and Fighting Team of Woosin Vina Co., Ltd. regularly organizes drills to improve skills and knowledge for members as well as all workers and laborers. Photo: Provided by the facility

Since then, the team has always operated with the motto "3 proactive, 3 ready" including: Proactively disseminating contents related to fire prevention and fighting to all workers and employees; proactively coordinating with functional departments to organize fire prevention and fighting drills at the company; proactively developing and practicing fire prevention and fighting and rescue plans every 3 months at the company. At the same time, being ready in terms of manpower, logistics and support and coordination. Thanks to that, the company has always ensured fire prevention and fighting criteria in a safe and sustainable manner.

VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park. Photo: Tran Chau

As of March 2023, VSIP Nghe An Industrial, Urban and Service Park has attracted 39 projects, of which 23 projects have come into operation, creating jobs for 13,000 workers. With the orientation of sustainable development, in recent times VSIP Nghe An Industrial, Urban and Service Park has basically completed important infrastructure items and equipped fire prevention and fighting systems and fire stations in a synchronous manner.

An important milestone of this work was marked in August 2021, when VSIP Nghe An Co., Ltd. held a launching ceremony for the model "Fire Prevention and Fighting Safe Industrial Park". This is the first unit selected to build a pilot model to raise awareness of business owners and production units in fire prevention and fighting in industrial parks. Immediately after announcing the decision to establish the model "Fire Prevention and Fighting Safe Industrial Park", the Steering Committee of the model and the company's fire prevention and fighting self-management team participated in drills and approved the deployment of fire fighting and rescue teams in VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park. Since then, VSIP Industrial Park has maintained its pioneering position in fire prevention and fighting, creating a comfortable, trusting and secure mentality for workers while working here.

There is still a dark side.

In the first months of 2023, many businesses in Nghe An province were fined by the People's Committee of Nghe An province for violating fire prevention, fighting, and rescue principles.

For example, some units in Nghia Long Industrial Cluster, Nghia Dan District were fined for developing rescue plans that did not meet the requirements and contents prescribed by law, as stipulated in Point a, Clause 2, Article 41, Decree No. 144/2021/ND-CP of the Government and did not fully equip fire prevention and fighting equipment for the fire prevention team according to the law. Or an enterprise located in Nghia Tien Commune, Thai Hoa Town put warehouses, garages and auxiliary works into use and operation without a certificate or design approval document on fire prevention and fighting.

Scene of a fire at a clean charcoal processing factory for export. Photo: Duc Thanh

According to statistics at the conference “Assessing the situation and results of the activities of the Provincial Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue Steering Committee in 2022” organized by the Provincial People's Committee, last year, the whole province had 81 fires. Of which, 19 were fires at production and business establishments with huge losses.

According to the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board, besides businesses that do a good job in fire prevention and fighting, many businesses still have a subjective mentality and rely on the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police force. This mentality leads to a lack of proactive investment in fire prevention.

Based on that situation, the Provincial People's Committee has directed the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone to closely coordinate with the Provincial Police and departments and branches to advise on the establishment of an interdisciplinary working group to inspect, review and guide the overcoming of difficulties and obstacles in the implementation of legal regulations on fire prevention and fighting of enterprises in industrial parks, industrial clusters and works with converted functions, construction not in accordance with planning, construction permits, misuse of functions, purposes... affecting the implementation of solutions to ensure fire prevention and fighting safety and rescue according to current regulations in the area. At the same time, it issued Official Dispatch No. 2393/UBND-NC dated April 4 on continuing to strengthen state management after the general review and inspection of fire prevention and fighting safety and rescue.

Authorities have conducted fire prevention and fighting inspections at many business establishments in the province. Photo: Nghe An Newspaper

In addition, the Provincial Steering Committee for Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue 19 directive documents, advise on the summary of many major topics on fire prevention and fighting; review and build 100 typical advanced units of the mass fire prevention and fighting movement. These are important premises to improve the effectiveness of fire prevention and fighting work in Nghe An province in the coming time. However, implementing the above requirements is still a long journey, requiring a major change in the awareness of business leaders and business establishments in the whole province./.