Jeju Fire Headquarters, Volunteer Fire Brigade Playing a Key Role as Safety Guardians

Published 17 Mar.2022 09:55(KST)

[Jeju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Jeongpil] The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Fire Safety Headquarters (Head Park Geun-o) is continuously expanding the role of the Jeju Volunteer Fire Brigade as local safety guardians by strengthening their professional capabilities on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the establishment of Volunteer Fire Brigade Day.

According to the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters on the 17th, Volunteer Fire Brigade Day was established last April to boost the pride and morale of volunteer firefighters.

The anniversary was set on March 19 by combining March 11, the day stipulated in the 1958 Fire Services Act as the basis for the establishment of volunteer fire brigades, and 119, the emergency number.

The Jeju Volunteer Fire Brigade is organized and operated with 2,210 members across 74 teams in the province, and last year, they played the role of fire safety guardians throughout the province by responding to disaster sites such as fires and supporting water safety at beaches.

In particular, they made every effort in disaster prevention activities such as conducting local patrols during the earthquake in December last year.

They also took the lead in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by engaging in disinfection activities at multi-use facilities and providing safety support at vaccination centers.

The Volunteer Fire Brigade is continuously expanding its role by utilizing members with professional qualifications to focus on elderly care services such as health consultations and life safety education for the underprivileged, and by discovering community-tailored special policies such as emergency first aid education for haenyeo (female divers).

This year, they plan to further expand the scope of activities by recruiting outstanding young and middle-aged personnel and increasing the acquisition of professional qualifications within the Volunteer Fire Brigade.

They will actively recruit talented individuals with professional qualifications, skills, and talents related to firefighting work to expand organizational infrastructure, and establish a self-reliant training system through education and training using professional instructors from the Volunteer Fire Brigade.

While continuously nurturing professional instructors for the Volunteer Fire Brigade, they plan to increase the proportion of cyber education to prevent gaps in training caused by COVID-19.

They will also continue to expand their role as local safety guardians through activities such as natural purification campaigns, disinfection efforts, elderly care services, and the distribution of basic firefighting equipment.

On the 30th, the 1st Volunteer Fire Brigade Day event will be held to boost the pride of volunteer firefighters and provide a venue for unity.

Park Geun-o, head of the Fire Safety Headquarters, said, “On the occasion of the 1st Volunteer Fire Brigade Day, I thank the volunteer firefighters who have played a central role in local safety,” and added, “We expect them to continue to lead as reliable guardians of local safety.”