Last November 9th, President Moon Jae-in visited an event celebrating Firefighters’Day and praised firefighters for their hard work. He also promised improvement of their treatment. Most people usually think that the main tasks of firefighters are extinguishing fires and rescue missions. The CBT reporters visited Cheong-ju West Fire Station and interviewed Lee Dong-gyu, Safety and Prevention Division, Ahn Suk-gyun, Response Rescue and Emergency Medical Service(EMS) Division, and Park Bum-jong, Fire Administration Division, to learn about their actual work and working environment. -Ed.




Q. Most people only know the main tasks of firefighters like extinguishing fire and rescue missions. However, what do firefighters actually do?

  A. Lee Dong-gyu(Lee): First, the Safety and Prevention Division is composed of Prevention Safety and a Civil Complaint Guidance Team. In the case of the Civil Complaint Guidance Team, they usually check whether buildings are constructed following the codes of the Building Act and the Fire Services Act. Also, the Prevention Safety Team is in charge of education and promotion. Promotions partially consist of communicating with citizens via SNS or public readings of fairy tales by firefighters. These days, education about prevention and safety has become more important. Compared with other countries, Korea has a very low probability of revival after a heart attack. The main reason is that there are few people who know how to give first aid. Therefore, as a member of an educational field, I always try to give useful information about first aid education instead of just showing formal procedures.

  A. Ahn Suk-gyun: The Fire Investigation Team in the Response Rescue and EMS Division is in charge of investigating the causes of fires. In the case of Cheong-ju West Fire Station, the Fire Investigation Team members are composed of a commander and a fire investigator. Moreover, when there is a fire, the Investigation Team takes the lead, drives the emergency vehicles and manages the traffic on roads. When we arrive at a spot, the Fire Investigation Team allocates vehicles and firefighters to necessary places and asks the local fire station for backup of skilled manpower or equipment when necessary. In addition, we inform the Control Center in the fire station about the status of the fire. Also, the Response Team manages other tasks such as managing water from fire hydrants. There is also a volunteer firefighter department, whose members do their regular jobs during the day, but when a fire occurs, they come to the spot and support the firefighters.

  A. Park Bum-jong: The Fire Administration Division is divided into the Administration Team and the Equipment Team. The Administration Team manages all of the administrative work such as human resources, special events, salaries and so on. Also, they look after the welfare of the firefighters. They help by notifying the firefighters about regular treatments and diverse benefits. The Equipment Team manages all of the equipment needed for firefighting such as vehicles, communication devices, administrative stuff, fire suits and uniforms. Now, I am in charge of managing the communication devices.

Q. What is your sense of duty as a firefighter?

  A. Lee: I worked in the Rescue Team, but now I am working in the Safety and Prevention Division. When I worked in the Rescue Team, I focused on minimizing damage rather than trying to rescue people. As I was working there, I acquired some know-how about minimizing damages. In the Safety and Prevention Division, I am always thinking painstakingly about how to educate people on first aid training more easily. Therefore, my sense of duty as a firefighter is to increase the probability of revival from a heart arrest, which is low now.

Q. As a firefighter, what would you like to share with the CBNU students?

  A. Lee: Whenever I educate many students in elementary, middle and high schools, I always tell students that if they achieve their dreams later, even if it is not to be a firefighter, please send warm messages to firefighters. If these warm messages reach the president of Korea, it will lead to positive changes such as increasing the number of firefighters. People in various jobs like doctors and businessmen will be able to help us by sending warm messages to firefighters.

By Min Byung-woo l bw38@cbnu.ac.kr
By Kim Jae-wan l jw37@cbnu.ac.kr