Residential buildings, public facilities, and industrial sites must be equipped with high-performance detectors that rarely malfunction and fire forecasting systems, not cheap ones. The cost of these is incomparable to human life. 

The tragedy that occurred at an auto parts factory in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon, starkly revealed the systemic problems our society has ignored.

This disaster, which resulted in 74 casualties, was not a sudden calamity. The factory had experienced repeated fires seven times over the past 15 years, with fires igniting from dust in dust collectors and oil residue inside ducts. Internal testimonies revealed that "small fires were quietly put out by staff directly." 

Numerous warning signs were present, but the workplace ignored them, and the nation's industrial safety management system failed to function. The outcome was devastating. 

The facts uncovered at the scene are even more shocking. A significant number of differential and smoke detectors were faulty, and even the pathway emergency exit lights, which indicate evacuation directions during a power outage, did not turn on. 

A total of 43 deficiencies, including insufficient pressure in the indoor fire hydrant pump, demonstrate that this factory was in a state of lawlessness, effectively disregarding the fundamental principles of fire safety: prevention, early detection, evacuation, and suppression. A fire official lamented, "They didn't even replace detectors that cost only a few thousand won."

Various detectors are like nerve cells protecting a building. Just as human nerve cells detect minor stimuli and transmit them to the brain, detectors capture subtle changes in heat and smoke to signal the alarm system. 

However, just as damaged nerve cells endanger the entire body, aging detectors can paralyze the entire safety system of a building. This is especially true in industrial settings where dust, sludge, and oil residue are constantly present, significantly shortening the lifespan of detectors compared to general environments. 

Despite this, the current Fire Safety Facilities Act does not stipulate durability periods for key equipment such as detectors, bells, and emergency lights, with the exception of fire extinguishers (10 years). During inspections, only their "operational status" is checked, with no criteria for when they were manufactured, how old they are, or if replacement is necessary. Yet, there is no guarantee that a detector functioning today will function tomorrow. 

Fire safety is determined by the product of technical reliability and management ethics. If detector performance drops to 50% and management's commitment to safety approaches zero, the overall safety index becomes exponentially zero, not an arithmetic sum. 

This incident serves as a real-world example of how that formula operates. The fact that the detection and alarm systems were neglected in a workplace with a history of fires signifies not just a simple oversight in management but a systemic failure. 

Introducing a detector durability period is now essential. This must be accompanied by differential replacement cycles based on environmental load, mandatory digital record-keeping, and strengthened management accountability. However, we must go a step further. 

If detectors are the nerve cells, then a fire forecasting system is the brain that comprehensively analyzes these signals to predict danger. Just as the Meteorological Administration protects lives by forecasting heatwaves, cold snaps, and heavy rain, industrial sites need a brain to predict risks. 

If a system were in place to calculate real-time risk indices based on data such as dust levels, temperature, humidity, electrical load, and equipment vibration, issue warnings at different risk levels, and predict dangers in specific processes or times by learning from past accident patterns, tragedies like this incident could have been fully preventable. 

Residential buildings, public facilities, and industrial sites must be equipped with high-performance detectors that rarely malfunction and fire forecasting systems, not cheap ones. The cost of these is incomparable to human life. 

We can no longer tolerate a deficient safety system that fails to replace a single detector in a timely manner. We must prevent fire tragedies caused by the state's lack of safety management before they occur. 

The introduction of a detector durability period and a fire forecasting system is not an option but a minimum responsibility. It is an ethical standard and a social consensus that respects life. We can no longer hide behind the excuse of "unforeseen accidents." Laws and technology are the last shield protecting those working in the most vulnerable positions, and that shield must be strengthened immediately.

◆ Cho Young-jin

CEO, Rose AI