Firefighter Physical Fitness Test 'Equal for Men and Women' from 2027... Fire Agency Maintains Separate Recruitment

Strength Test Weight Increased and Written Test Reduced from 2023
Same Physical Standards for Men and Women from 2027
Fire Agency Responds to 'Disadvantage for Women' Criticism with "Separate Recruitment"

Fire authorities have decided to change the physical fitness test items for firefighter recruitment starting in 2027 and apply the same evaluation criteria for both men and women. When concerns were raised that the new system might disadvantage female applicants, the authorities emphasized that the 'separate recruitment system for men and women will be maintained.'

According to the National Fire Agency on the 11th, the authorities increased the weight of the physical fitness test from 15% to 25% starting from last year's selection exam. The written test weight was reduced from 75% to 50%. Reflecting the 'Study on Improvement of Physical Fitness Test for New Firefighter Recruitment' conducted last year and overseas cases, they are also promoting a plan to improve the six basic fitness measurement methods to ones that reflect job characteristics, such as '(fire hose) dragging and pulling.'

Furthermore, from 2027, the same physical fitness evaluation criteria will be applied to both men and women. Under the current evaluation criteria, men receive 10 points for a grip strength of 60 kg or more, while women receive 10 points for 37 kg or more, meaning the standards differ by gender. The plan is to improve this to a unified standard for both men and women.

This has raised concerns that the recruitment threshold for female firefighter applicants will become higher. The reason is that with the changed criteria, female applicants, who tend to have relatively higher written test scores than male applicants, may be disadvantaged. The National Fire Agency stated, "The separate recruitment system for men and women will be maintained in new firefighter recruitment," and added, "Any future transition to an integrated recruitment system will be carefully reviewed through consultations with local governments, considering the advantages and disadvantages involved and gathering diverse opinions."

Additionally, the National Fire Agency explained that, considering gender equality, the number of female recruits in the new firefighter recruitment selection exams has been continuously increasing. The proportion of female firefighter recruits was 10.0% in 2019, 10.5% in 2020, 11.3% in 2021, 13.2% in 2022, and 16.9% in 2023, showing an increase every year.

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