Jeonnam Fire Department Operates Legal Support Team for Firefighters Injured on Duty

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Jeonnam Fire Headquarters operates a legal support team to help firefighters who suffer from injuries or deaths incurred during firefighting duties but fail to have their cases recognized as work-related, enabling them to receive official acknowledgment of work-related injury or death.

According to the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters on the 11th, the legal support team is activated as a T/F team consisting of 11 members.

The team is led by the Fire Administration Division Chief as the head of the support team and is composed of a legal support team including lawyers and an administrative support team to assist with administrative tasks.

Analysis by the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters shows that the number of work-related medical treatments has been increasing annually, rising from 19 cases in 2014 to 40 cases in 2019, more than doubling.

In particular, among 11 severe illness cases (such as leukemia, breast cancer, cerebral hemorrhage, heart disease) over the past five years, two have proceeded with lawsuits to obtain recognition of work-related injury.

During this process, they have faced significant difficulties in proving the work-relatedness to gain approval.

Accordingly, the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters plans to actively support firefighters suffering from various severe illnesses due to the nature of their work, ensuring no difficulties in proving the causal relationship to work and allowing them to focus on their duties without being caught in unfair disputes.

The support targets include ▲ recognition of death in the line of duty (in cases suspected of suicide due to job stress) ▲ severe illness patients whose work-related medical treatment was denied in the first trial ▲ those who proceed with lawsuits after denial of reconsideration requests ▲ and other employees requiring recognition of death or injury related to official duties.

Jae-yoon Ma, head of the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters, said, “We will continuously support so that there are no cases of denial regarding work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths,” and added, “We will strive to ensure that employees can work with peace of mind.”

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