Daejeon Firefighters Union: "Two Seriously Injured During Water Rescue Training... No Commander on Rental Helicopter"

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A firefighter was seriously injured during water rescue training in Daejeon. The helicopter used for the training that day was rented, and there was no commanding officer on board, leading to claims that the accident was foreseeable.

According to the Preparatory Committee of the Public Officials Labor Union Loving Firefighting (hereafter Sosagongno) on the 28th, two members of the Daejeon Fire Department Special Rescue Unit’s Aviation Team suffered serious injuries, including broken ribs and a facial laceration requiring 70 stitches, during water rescue training around Daechung Lake in Dong-gu, Daejeon, at around 11 a.m. on the 21st.

Sosagongno believes the accident occurred because the training was conducted at an altitude three times higher than originally planned, at 10 meters above the water.

In particular, Sosagongno emphasized that the training was carried out without the commanding officer, such as the aviation team leader, on board the helicopter.

Normally, all command structures operate under the direction of the fire aviation team leader, but at the accident site, the underwater jump training was forced ahead without any commanding officer present.

Sosagongno pointed out, “The Daejeon Fire Aviation Team usually conducts training without the aviation team leader on board, and on the day of the accident, when there were new employees, the training was also forced ahead without the aviation team leader. On the day of the accident, only a civilian pilot, co-pilot, mechanic, and firefighters were on the helicopter conducting the underwater jump training.”

Moreover, Sosagongno defined the recent accident as a “foreseeable accident” and criticized, “It is difficult to understand how the underwater jump training was conducted under the instructions of a civilian pilot without the command of the fire aviation team leader.”

They also pointed to the use of a civilian helicopter as one of the causes of the accident, stating, “As long as training is conducted using rented helicopters, firefighters will continue to have to follow the instructions of civilian helicopter pilots. The Mayor of Daejeon and the Fire Headquarters Chief must make a harsh decision regarding the fire aviation team leadership and prioritize the introduction of fire helicopters over other policies.”

Meanwhile, among the 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide, only Daejeon and Sejong do not have their own fire helicopters. Although they are scheduled to introduce helicopters with budget support from 2022 to 2026, Sosagongno claims that until the helicopters are actually introduced, reliance on rented helicopters is inevitable.

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