# Fire services in South Korea

The Fire Service in South Korea (or Korea Fire Service) is an organization to prevent danger, to protect the Republic of Korea people's lives and property, fire suppression and rescue, relief of emergency patients, prevention of disaster, disaster response, and providing recovery after a disaster occurs. Fire fighters in South Korea are Fire officers, members of an obligatory fire-fighting unit, and volunteer fire fighters. Regarding fire fighting activities, the Framework Act on Fire Service, rescue and emergency activities are regulated by Act of 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services. The national fire department is the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, and the local fire department is in charge of the city and circuit fire headquarters.
There are multiple criticisms such as the problem of the command system, the status of the firefighting organization, and the poor treatment of the firefighters, although a plurality of organizations are set up to carry out firefighting activities.

## History
### Before the Goryeo period

Fires in the Three Kingdoms of Korea were rather common. According to the Samguk sagi, fires occurred at the temple Hwangnyongsa in the 2nd, 6th, and 8th years of the reign of King Munmu. Furthermore, there are some records indicating that arson happened during this period as well.
During the Goryeo period, a national-level firefighting system started to emerge. Whilst no specialized organization existed at the time, fires were still controlled and prevented via the 'Gold Coin System' (금화제도). This system worked on a basis of punishment and insurance. Any officials found guilty of arson (or otherwise causing a fire) faced immediate dismissal. If a fire destroyed company property, the perpetrator would be sentenced to three years of imprisonment. Victims of the fire would receive compensation if their house was destroyed by the fire or if they were injured by the fire. Local governments appointed one official to be in charge of these funds - initially with little oversight. However, following a fire during the 20th year of Munjong of Goryeo's reign, these officials were subject occasional inspections by the Royal Inspectorate to ensure that the funds had not been misused. If the appointed individuals could not be found or were otherwise neglecting their duty, they were liable to face imprisonment or further punishment. Whilst this successfully did prevent some fires, the Goryeo era still suffered more fires than previous eras, as a consequence of rapid urbanization (with booming urban populations living in larger, densely-packed, flammable buildings providing ample opportunities for fires to start and spread).

### Joseon Dynasty

The fire fighting system of the Joseon period was established in 1426 (Sejong 8th year), the first firefighting organization specialized in the Korean Peninsula was set up under the salary, and began taking charge of the fire protection work. Initially, the forbidden army suppressed the fire, renamed the fire battalion as Ghum-Hwa(금화,禁火. fire fighter) in the dynasty era and working for 24 hours.

### Korea under Japanese rule

Fire department in the Japanese emperor's fortune occupation is responsible for the Department of Protection or Security Department of the Governor-General of Korea. In the 1910s, firefighters were placed at the police office in Seoul and other major cities. They organized firefighting groups and arranged firefighters. In 1922, the Gyeongseong firefighting group was rebuilt by the Gyeongseong fire house, and in 1925, the first fire station of the Gyeongseong fire station rewrote.

### United States Army Military Government in Korea and Republic of Korea
#### National Fire Service

In 1950 the National Fire Department of the Security Bureau was established, but in the same year it was reduced to being a directorate of the security department, and in 1955 the safety and protection department in charge of the fire department was in charge of the security department together with the guard department guard. The fire department was installed again in 1961 and was in charge of fire fighting work in the fire department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Department of the Internal Affairs Department until 1971. In 1975 the civil defense fund law came into force and the Ministry became responsible for civil defense affairs, in which the NFD was partly responsible.
Since then, the National Emergency Management Agency was established in 2004 after the fire accident of the Daegu subway and the typhoon, but was dismantled by the Sinking of MV Sewol in 2014 and was transferred to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security. In 2017, on the basis of the Central Fire Service, the National Fire Agency was established as the country's singular firefighting service.

#### Local Fire Service

In 1945, the fire department was established in the local government police department during the US military rule. In 1946, the Fire Fire Defense Committee and the municipal fire department were established, the Fire Department was established in 1947 and it was autonomous under the Ministry of Commerce, but in 1948 belonged to the state police administration regime. The fire department was established in Seoul and Busan in 1972, and in 1975, it was responsible for firefighting affairs in the fire department of the Civil affairs administration of each circuit. Since 1976 the mayor and county guard were in charge of firefighting work only in areas where fire stations were not established, but in 1992 the circuit Fire headquarters was established and reached the present.

## Fire service structure

The firefighting organization of the Republic of Korea consists of the National Fire Agency under the Ministry of Interior and Security and the city or circuit firefighting headquarters. Under the NFA's administrative supervision there are National 119 Rescue Headquarters and a National Fire Service Academy, and under the city or circuit Firefight Headquarters there are fire stations and local fire academies. The NFA is responsible to the central government, while the city or county fire headquarters is managed by the local government respectively.

### Central Fire Service

* National Fire Agency
** National 119 Rescue Headquarters [ko]

### Local Fire Service
#### City Fire Service

* Seoul Fire Services
* Busan Fire Safety Headquarters [ko]
* Daegu Fire Department [ko]
* Incheon Fire Department [ko]
* Gwangju Fire Department [ko]
* Daejeon Fire Department [ko]
* Sejong Fire Department [ko]
* Ulsan Fire Department [ko]
* Changwon Fire Service Headquarters [ko]

#### Provincial Fire Service

* Gyeonggi Disaster and Safety Headquarters [ko]
* Gyeonggi Northern Fire Headquarters [ko]
* Gangwon Fire Headquarters [ko]
* Chungbuk Fire Service Headquarter [ko]
* Chungnam Fire Service Headquarter [ko]
* Jeonbuk Fire Service [ko]
* Jeonnam Fire Service [ko]
* Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters [ko]
* Gyeongsangnam-do Fire Department [ko]
* Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters [ko]

### Lack of Fire Stations

Although it is in principle to set up one fire station in one city, county, or ward, it was not protected, and as a result of the Fire headquarters in Gangwon Province analyzing fire life damage, there is a significant difference in death rate depending on the presence or absence of a fire station and insist on the necessity of establishing a fire station. However, a budget of about 7 billion won is consumed for establishing one fire station, and in municipalities with poor financial autonomy passively responding to the establishment of a fire station.

## Fire officers

The firefighters of the Republic of Korea are divided into 119 Fire Fighting Corps, 119 Rescue Squad, 119 Ambulance Corps by their work.

### Rank

It can be divided into 11 classes of national workers and 10 classes of regional workers.
Ranks:
* General Fire Marshal
* Fire Marshal
* Deputy Fire Marshal
* Major Fire Marshal
* Fire Chief
* Assistant Fire Chief
* Fire Captain
* Fire Lieutenant
* Senior Fire Sergeant
* Fire Sergeant
* Firefighter
* Acting Firefighter

### Problem of disease

South Korean firefighters work for about 84 hours a week, and there is little support for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Indeed, the fire fighter with occupational illness is 14.3%. However, 88 percent of the firemen who wounded injured due to disadvantage did not declare that they were official illness. Diseases such as leukemia and blood cancer are not acknowledged to be official affairs in the state, and such a tone is maintained even after the Supreme Court's ruling.

### Manpower shortage problem

In order to solve the problem of excessive working hours, the local fire department changed the shift from two shifts to three shifts, but the total number of firefighters worked on the job wasn't added. In addition, the number of firefighters needed to be dispatched at the end of 2014 amounted to 50493, but only about 41 percent of the respondents are able to fill the vacancy.