Expansion of Firefighting Work Area by Improving the Forest Fire Response System in South Korea

On April 1, 2020, the South Korean Fire Officials Act was revised by unifying the right to appoint fire officials and the class system. Over the past five years, firefighting has expanded large-scale personnel, replaced aging firefighting vehicles and supplied insufficient personal safety equipment, providing conditions for safer and quicker field activities. Furthermore, the scope of work has gradually expanded from firefighting to rescue, emergency, disaster and natural disaster and life safety activities. In particular, based on the lack of firefighting personnel and equipment and on-site command in the Uljin and Samcheok forest fires, which caused property damage of KRW 226.1 billion over 213 h since 1986, a more effective forest fire response system was established that expanded the scope of firefighting by converting the organization and budget operation authority of the Korea Forest Service to a firefighting-led suppression system that the public is aware of.