Gyeonggi Fire Department Appoints 430 Firefighters for the First Time This Year

[Asia Economy (Yongin) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] A total of 430 Gyeonggi-do firefighters have completed 15 weeks of training and have been commissioned. Gyeonggi-do is the only region in the country to have trained and deployed new firefighters in the first half of this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 7th, the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced that on the 5th, at the Gyeonggi-do Fire School located in Yongin, they awarded graduation certificates (appointment letters) to 430 new firefighters of the 71st class who completed the 15-week training course after passing last year’s exam.

The originally planned commissioning ceremony was canceled due to the resurgence of COVID-19. Instead, the ceremony was replaced by a meeting room event where graduation certificates and commendations were awarded to 12 exemplary trainees and top performers.

The newly commissioned firefighters will be primarily assigned to local fire stations and 119 Safety Centers across the province to help alleviate manpower shortages on site and support various disaster response activities.

Lee Hyung-cheol, head of the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, said, "I hope you do not forget the sweat and effort you put in at the Fire School and fully demonstrate your capabilities at the frontline firefighting sites. As Gyeonggi-do firefighters, please take pride, a sense of mission, and passion to protect the lives of residents and lead the way in creating a safe and happy Gyeonggi-do."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi-do plans to recruit 860 new firefighters this year, the largest number nationwide, with the written exam scheduled for the 20th.

This reflects Gyeonggi-do’s strong determination to prioritize public safety policies despite COVID-19.

In particular, "increasing firefighter personnel" is one of Governor Lee Jae-myung’s key campaign pledges.

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