SHIJIAZHUANG — Tucked along China's northern coast, the city of Qinhuangdao in Hebei province is best known for Shanhaiguan Pass, a historic section of the Great Wall that meets the Bohai Sea. However, beyond its ancient fortifications, this port city has emerged as an unexpected leader in buttressing a modern frontier: smart fire protection.

In a sprawling 3,200 square meter smart manufacturing workshop run by Gulf Security Technology, a brand under global fire and life safety solutions provider Kidde Global Solutions, a single production line hums with automated precision. Only four workers are needed to supervise the operation, where advanced machinery and intelligent detection software produce state-of-the-art smoke detectors at the rate of one every three seconds.

Founded in Qinhuangdao in 1993, GST has been a front-row witness to the city's rise as a fire safety powerhouse. Over the past three decades, the company has evolved from a traditional manufacturer into a tech-driven innovator.

"We've gone from producing a few basic products to offering end-to-end solutions that cover the entire fire safety life cycle," said Wu Haifeng, vice-president of KGS Commercial Fire Greater China and general manager of GST. "What started as a local brand in Qinhuangdao is now a global name."

With a robust smart fire safety industrial cluster including companies like GST, Qinhuangdao is now a vital hub for technology that is reshaping how China and even the world prevent and respond to fires.

The Qinhuangdao Economic and Technological Development Zone has successfully integrated technologies such as the internet of things, cloud computing and 5G with the traditional fire safety industry.

Currently, the zone is home to 11 companies in the smart fire safety sector, each achieving annual revenues exceeding 20 million yuan ($2.78 million). Collectively, these companies generate nearly 3 billion yuan in sales, accounting for more than 40 percent of the total market in China.

This boom is underpinned by China's growing emphasis on modernizing fire prevention. In 2024, the country's fire departments responded to about 908,000 fires, a relatively stable rate. However, fires hitting residential buildings remained a major concern: nearly 310,000 of these fires occurred in homes, accounting for 79 percent of all blazes in structures.

China has made smart fire protection a cornerstone of its public safety strategy, calling for a shift from reactive fire management to proactive prevention through technological innovation. The country has also emphasized building a digital fire safety ecosystem to enhance early warning and rescue capabilities.

Since 2024, China has updated mandatory national standards for key fire products, including extinguishers, fireproof shutters and detection systems, aiming to raise quality and safety levels. On May 1, three new standards governing fire alarms and emergency evacuation, among others, took effect, setting stricter technical benchmarks.

"These new standards will further push us to make our products and services more intelligent, precise and efficient," Wu said, adding that GST has already upgraded its related product lines to meet the rigorous new requirements.

A 2024 report by the China Center for Information Industry Development expected the Asia-Pacific region's fire safety market to continue its rapid growth in the coming years. This trend is closely tied to the region's urbanization process and increasing awareness of fire safety in government.

"Technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and big data are revolutionizing how we approach fire safety," said Li Ning, head of the electronics branch of the China Fire Protection Association. "They will push the fire safety businesses and technologies to new frontiers."

Xinhua