Finding Light From the Ashes
On February 1st, two firefighters died on duty while extinguishing a fire at a factory in Mungyeong City. Following these line-of-duty deaths, 70,000 firefighters gathered and urged the government to improve working conditions. Questioning the current treatment of firefighters, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) aims to investigate the reality of firefighters’ treatment and the ways for improvement.
Fire Breaks Out!
-History of Fire Protection
Fire protection refers to all activities that protect citizens’ lives and properties from danger. Fire officials, commonly called firefighters, not only extinguish fires but also carry out a variety of tasks such as emergency patient transportation, helicopter rescue, computerization, and traffic control. Fire protection has firmly maintained its position, changing its form to protect the safety of the country and the people. Since the establishment of the Korean government in 1948, the fire service administration had been classified as a police affair, but in the 1970s, it became completely independent from the police. Since then, the fire service administration has been divided into state and local self-government. As the Fire Services Act was revised in the 1990s, the metropolitan autonomous fire protection system settled, and the class system of fire officials was classified into state public officials and local public officials. In the 2000s, disasters such as diseases, typhoons, and subway fire accidents raised the need for fundamental disaster management, which prompted the opening of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The NEMA was reorganized as the Central Fire Service under the Ministry of Public Safety and Security to integrate and manage land and sea disasters. However, in 2017, with the restructuring of government organizations, the Central Fire Service was relaunched as the National Fire Agency (NFA), a general agency for land disasters.
-Firefighting of the Day
The system, which was divided into state and local, was the basis for the development of modern fire protection; however, it faced the limit of inequality between regions. The budget allocated to fire protection varied depending on the financial conditions and interests of each local government. This disparity led to a regional gap in fire protection personnel, equipment, treatment, and even fire services. Accordingly, on April 1st, 2020, the government enacted and revised six major laws to prevent gaps in investment in fire protection and to prepare a system that provides equal fire services in every region. Due to this revision of the law, the dualized position of about 50,000 fire officials became unified as state public officials. In addition, the fire security tax, previously composed of 20% of the individual consumption tax of cigarettes, was increased to 45% to make up for the insufficient budget for fire protection. A legal basis has also been established to support systematic treatment for fire officials who are repeatedly exposed to various risks and stresses. However, despite the revision of the law, many problems and criticisms still persist.
The Warning Shout
-Remaining Gaps
Although the positions have changed from local to state public officials, the authority of budget and personnel remain subordinate to local governments. Therefore, the material treatments for fire protection, such as quality of equipment and manpower, are still different among regions. According to the NFA in 2023, the proportion of the local budget in the Special Account for Firefighting Services was 87.6%, suggesting that local governments, with poor expenditure conditions, could not provide sufficient support. As a result, state support is required to fill the insufficient local budget, but in reality, the only budget support set aside for firefighters by the central government is the fire security tax. However, even the fire security tax cannot sufficiently fulfill the budget. According to the Korea Institute of Local Taxation in 2023, over the next three years, from 2024 to 2026, the fire security tax is estimated to be deficient by 55.3% and 95.9% in the fire and safety sectors, respectively, to cover the investment requirements. The gap in budget between regions also leads to the problem of manpower imbalance. According to National Assemblyman Oh Yeong-hwan, the average shortage rate of firefighting personnel compared to the legal standards was 10.10%. With this lack of workforce, some regions have an even higher shortage rate. South Jeolla Province’s shortage rate was 23.54%, and Ulsan City’s was 21.67%. The Korean Fire Safety Government Employees’ Union (KFSU) said in an interview with the SKT, “The budget for firefighting power management depends on the local government’s budget, so if the budget is relatively insufficient, the manpower gap worsens, leading to a significant safety gap.”
-Siren from Firefighters
Although fire officials are putting out fires to protect the country, their poor working conditions and treatment remain the same. Fire officials are easily exposed to mental trauma due to harrowing sights on the scene of accidents. The KFSU said, “Firefighters who witness various disasters have insomnia caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as they face unexpected deaths.” According to the 2023 survey conducted by the NFA, 43.9% of fire officials are suffering from at least one of the four major psychological disorders, including PTSD, depression, sleep disorders, and problem drinking. Therefore, due to the stressful nature of the job, assistance from professional counselors is particularly essential. However, only 98 counselors exist for 65,960 fire officials, according to the Outreach Counseling in 2023. Moreover, despite the lost lives on the job, there is a significant lack of respect and support for this honorable profession. At the annual Fire Service Memorial Ceremony from 2004 to 2023, supported by the NFA, the state respected fire officials with its words but did not support with an increase in budget. This contradicts the purpose of the ceremony, which is to honor the sacrifices of fire officials who died in the line of duty. Former president of the Korea Fire Safety Institute, Kang Tae-suk, told the SKT, “Social respect and recognition for firefighters who died in the line of duty are still lacking. Some people even underestimate the importance of firefighting.” This lack of treatment reduces the pride and morale of fire officials.
Extinguishing the Flames
-Complete State Public Officials
To close the gap between regions, refining the current half-state positions through complete independence of the fire service is necessary. The central government and the NFA, not local governments, should be responsible for securing budget and personnel rights for fire protection. One fire official told the SKT, “If the NFA brings budget and personnel rights, it will reduce the gap between regions due to the unification of budget payments.” Above all, it is necessary to secure finances stably by expanding insufficient financial resources, such as the fire security tax, through the efforts of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Equal and sufficient budget distribution will lead to equal personnel supplement and equal safety in the country. The KFSU mentioned that “If fire officials became complete state public officials, they would be able to respond quickly to reports by resolving the shortage of manpower and could use vacations without worrying.”
-Heal the True Heroes
Due to the nature of the job, mental support programs such as Firefighters Trauma 119 Academy, currently being conducted for 18 fire officials, should be expanded. The increase of now an insufficient number of psychological counseling experts is also imperative, while specialist counselors for firefighters must be trained on a national level. Notably, sufficiently respectful treatment corresponding to the dangerous duties of firefighters should be provided. In the United States (U.S.), firefighters are the most admired job of elementary school students and the second most satisfying job. Korea should also strengthen the universal public perception of respect for firefighters. The government should, therefore, give the maximum courtesy to those who have died while protecting the people and the country, such as granting the Order of National Security Merit to them and allocating budgets for memorial ceremonies. Moreover, citizens should contribute to building a social atmosphere in which the whole country rightfully respects firefighters. In an interview with the SKT, fire official Kim Jong-kwon said, “I believe that if citizens recognize and support our honor and pride, our welfare and treatment could gradually improve.”
“When I am called to duty, God, whenever flames may rage; Give me the strength to save some life, whatever be its age.” This quote is taken from the poem Firefighter’s Prayer. Remember, the safe day that Kingos experienced may be thanks to someone's sacrifice. Reflecting on the poor treatment of firef ighters, the true heroes, it is time to listen to the problem and improve it together.