HONGCHEON, Oct. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – Firefighters withstood intense heat strong enough to melt their steel helmets to save a 3-year-old child trapped inside a raging fire. Having lost consciousness after breathing in smoke, the child was quickly transferred to a hospital where he regained consciousness. In the process of the rescue, one firefighter suffered [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — A new survey has revealed that within the past year, more than 10 percent of South Korean firefighters experienced mental stress levels so severe that they considered suicide as a solution. According to data submitted to Rep. Kwon Eun-hee of the Bareunmirae Party, 4,874 respondents accounting for 10.7 percent [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The sound of sirens that can be heard from fire trucks heading towards emergency situations is about to get louder. The Korea National Fire Agency (KFNA) revealed yesterday that it was implementing new measures that would better allow drivers to recognize fire trucks in their vicinity. At present, fire [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — In an attempt to cool down roads that have been simmering from the recent heat wave, firefighters have come to the rescue. Local fire departments in Gangwon Province have started to spray water near senior citizen centers and small alleyways using fire hydrants and fire trucks. Firefighters hope that [...]
SUWON, March 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting this month, residents of Gyeonggi Province who dial the emergency line 119 for requests such as opening up a locked front door will have to find other means of getting help. The Gyeonggi-do Fire Service announced that it had assembled “living safety dispatch standards” that would categorize the [...]
SUWON, Feb. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — As capturing wild animals has become one of the main tasks of many firefighters in South Korea according to latest figures, concerns are growing over the inefficient use of firefighting resources. Data from the Gyeonggi Disaster and Safety Headquarters shows rescue teams and firefighters were called in over 38,000 times [...]
SEOUL, June 7 (Korea Bizwire) – President Moon Jae-in promised Wednesday to hire 1,500 new firefighters before the year’s end and a total of 19,000 before his five-year term ends. The 19,000 new firefighters and rescue workers will be included in 810,000 new jobs the president has pledged to create, but he said they will [...]
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) – One out of every 3 firefighters in South Korea suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a report showed Thursday, underscoring the mental health issue facing emergency workers. The report showed that 34.4 percent of the firefighters showed some symptoms of the disease, the report by the National Center for [...]
JECHEON, South Korea, May 29 (Korea Bizwire) – A photo of a dozen firefighters zonked out flat on the ground went viral last week, again highlighting the poor working conditions South Korea’s civil servants are exposed to. The photo was taken May 20 in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, during a firefighting operation at a local [...]