President Moon: "God Wearing a Helmet... Protected 70,000 Citizens This Year Alone"

Attendance at the 58th Firefighters' Day Ceremony, Encouragement for Firefighters... "Firefighters' Safety Is the People's Safety"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "During the Ulsan fire last October, the rescued family said that the firefighters who carried three family members down from the 33rd floor appeared like 'gods wearing helmets.'"

President Moon Jae-in said this on the 6th while attending the 58th Firefighters' Day ceremony held at the Central Fire Academy. President Moon explained, "This year alone, firefighters responded to 730,000 rescue dispatches and protected 70,000 citizens," adding, "3 million citizens received emergency treatment from paramedics, and 1.3 million were transported to hospitals with the help of ambulances."

This year marked the first year that firefighters have been unified as national public officials, making the ceremony especially meaningful. President Moon personally attended the ceremony to express gratitude to the firefighters who worked hard to protect the lives and safety of the people during the era of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "This is the first Firefighters' Day since the transition of firefighters to national public officials. It is even more meaningful to hold the ceremony at the Central Fire Academy, which symbolizes the firefighting spirit of honor, trust, and dedication," adding, "In the face of disasters, everyone is desperate. There is no one who provides a greater sense of relief than firefighters who break through danger and seek out urgent voices in those desperate moments."

President Moon pledged, "The safety of firefighters is the safety of the people," and promised, "The government will continue to do its best to protect the safety and health of firefighters."

Meanwhile, President Moon entered with the Minister of the Interior and Safety, the Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, and the Principal of the Central Fire Academy before the ceremony began and participated in the pre-ceremony events together. The event was conducted in compliance with COVID-19 infection control measures and social distancing guidelines. Oh Young-hwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and a former firefighter, hosted the ceremony as recommended by the National Fire Agency.

After the ceremony, President Moon encouraged the firefighters who participated in the fire suppression demonstration and moved to the indoor comprehensive training center to observe rescue training such as helicopter rappel, horizontal rescue, and vertical rescue.

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