Fire Agency to Introduce On-Site Commander Certification System... Training Commanders with Theory and Experience

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency announced on the 20th that it will operate the ‘On-site Commander Qualification Certification System’ starting in the second half of this year to establish a standardized qualification system for disaster site commanders.

Until now, the fire service has directed disaster sites mainly through senior officers with extensive field experience without any specific standards. However, there have been continuous calls for a standardized qualification system and training curriculum for on-site commanders, along with an objective evaluation and certification of command capabilities that can be linked to personnel management.

Accordingly, the National Fire Agency plans to introduce the ‘On-site Commander Qualification Certification System,’ which includes a standardized qualification system and certification requirements, as well as preferential personnel measures for certified commanders, to cultivate commanders equipped with both theory and experience.

The newly established certification system classifies commander qualifications into three levels?basic, intermediate, and advanced?according to their scope of roles. Each level requires passing a two-stage training and a two-stage evaluation and certification process. It is a strict system where candidates must achieve a set score at each stage to advance to the next level.

The evaluation consists of individual practical on-site command assessments and in-depth interviews. Various professional evaluation techniques such as psychological tests and dilemma scenarios will be introduced, and evaluators will be composed of internal and external experts in disaster and psychological fields to ensure objectivity and professionalism in the evaluation.

Basic commanders, who serve as first response team leaders, will be evaluated mainly on information management, compliance with procedures, and communication and cooperation (transmission) capabilities. Intermediate commanders, as emergency rescue team leaders, will be assessed with a focus on information analysis, procedure compliance, communication and cooperation, and operational coordination capabilities. Advanced commanders, corresponding to regional control team leaders and staff officers, will be evaluated primarily on leadership, communication and cooperation, organizational management, and resource management abilities. Those who fail the evaluation may retake it without limitation but cannot attempt it more than three consecutive times.

The National Fire Agency plans to encourage the preferential appointment of individuals certified as commanders. It is expected that securing the capabilities of on-site commanders responsible for disaster sites at a certain level or higher will further strengthen the protection of public safety.

Huh Seok-gon, Planning and Coordination Officer of the National Fire Agency, stated, "We will meticulously refine the four-stage certification process going forward, and through this, we will secure the ‘authority’ of qualifications recognized by everyone."

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