Training Specialized Firefighters for Hazardous Chemical Accident Response Starting Next Year

Introduction of Incident Response Capability Evaluation Certification System by Response Level

Demonstration of hazardous chemical leak control training.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 16th that it will introduce a certification system for personnel evaluation starting next year to train specialists capable of responding to accidents involving hazardous chemicals.

Currently, there are about 7,000 types of hazardous chemicals distributed domestically, and in the event of an accident related to these substances, secondary damage such as explosions or leaks is a concern depending on the properties of the chemicals. Since each substance has different characteristics, inappropriate response measures can cause problems in accident management and damage prevention.

Until now, the evaluation of hazardous chemical accident response capabilities was included as an item in the fire response capability and life rescue qualification certification system, but from next year, it will be separated and operated as an independent certification system.

The Level 2 hazardous chemical accident response capability (initial response process) has been educating and evaluating newly appointed firefighters since 2021 on accident types and risk analysis, initial response planning and defensive response, and decontamination execution. Training is conducted for 14 to 21 hours at the Central Fire Academy and three regional fire academies (Busan, Gyeonggi, Chungcheong), considering facilities and personnel, with a goal of certifying about 500 people in the first year.

Level 1 (specialized response process) targets active firefighters, prioritizing chemical special recruits and rescue team members. They receive intensive training for a week on hazardous material leak containment, substance detection, and operation of detection equipment, followed by evaluation. The training consists of 30% theory and 70% practical exercises, including all stages from equipment wearing to hazardous material containment and decontamination site setup. The annual training capacity is 250 people.

There is also a training course to expand the number of professional instructors. A professional instructor training course will be established at four institutions including the Central Fire Academy, targeting overseas trainees in the hazardous chemical field and chemical special recruits. About 70 instructors will be trained next year, aiming to operate a total instructor group of around 100.

Shin Yeol-woo, Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, said, "We plan to analyze the results of the first year of operation to enhance the training curriculum and expand and distribute simulators to enable practical training for various situations."

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