At the national fire prevention work conference on Jan 29, State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun stressed the importance of fire risk control and fire prevention.

Efforts should be made in improving fire prevention to safeguard people’s lives and property and advance economic and social development, the state councilor noted.

Severe fire disasters could be prevented by eliminating fire risks and administrative approval reform concerning the fire prevention work should be promoted to strengthen firefighting systems that cover both urban and rural areas, he said.

He also emphasized the “zero tolerance” of corruption in government departments related to fire prevention to build a strong professional firefighting team.