Gyeonggi Fire Department Transitions to National Position After 47 Years... Expected to Enhance Firefighting Services

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi-do fire services will be converted to national status for the first time in 47 years. Accordingly, the word "local" attached to ranks will disappear.

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 31st that local fire officers (9,324 personnel) will be converted to national status starting next month on the 1st.

The nationalization of fire officers is due to the passage of related legislation in the National Assembly last November.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters plans to replace employee ID cards within the budget limits of each city and province by the end of this year, and will continue to use existing ID cards until new ones are issued.

Also, the nationwide fire officer recruitment exam will be conducted by the Fire Agency Chief, and the currently dual personnel management system between central and local governments will be unified. However, fire service tasks will, in principle, remain local affairs.

Accordingly, the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters’ personnel management and command and supervision rights will continue to be exercised by the governor in a delegated form.

Furthermore, appeals against disciplinary actions and other disadvantages will be reviewed by the Personnel Innovation Office’s Appeal Review Committee, and for re-appeals or grievances of fire officers at the rank of Fire Captain or higher, the Central High-Level Review Committee will conduct the review.

In particular, to secure fire service funding, personnel expenses will be included in the fire safety grant tax, expanding government-level budget support.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters expects that on-site response beyond jurisdictional boundaries will be possible. When the nearest fire station is in an adjacent city or province rather than the jurisdictional fire station, both the closer dispatch team and the jurisdictional dispatch team will respond simultaneously based on the accident site’s distance, enabling rapid response.

Following the nationalization, the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters plans to actively promote ▲ improvement of disaster response systems ▲ establishment of scientific disaster prevention and response systems based on IT technology ▲ creation of a safer and fairer living environment ▲ enhancement of fire officers’ pride.

Lee Hyung-cheol, head of the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, stated, "With the nationalization of fire officers, treatment will be significantly improved, and disparities in personnel and equipment between regions will be reduced, enabling the provision of more equitable fire safety services."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.