A Study of the Korean Standards for Firefighters' Uniforms

한국 소방공무원 복제규정에 관한 연구

In this paper the Korean standards of clothing for firefighters were examined and analysed to improve the uniform's effectiveness. The results of the analysis are as follows: 1. The Korean standards for firefighters' uniforms first established in 1949 and were amended eleven times before 1983. The standards were reestablished in 1983 and had been amended four times by 1995. Recently there have been different causes of fire, and fires have become bigger and bigger. For these reasons, it is necessary to review the Korean standards for firefighters' uniforms. 2. The Korean standards are very different from those of Japan and USA. In Japan, firefighters' uniforms are classified by factors such as season and working conditions, while in Korea they are classified by factors such as sex and position. Furthermore, there are many items which are not mentioned in the Korean standards, such as ear covers and gloves. Textile materials are specified by brand names or company-designated item names. Classification of clothing items also needs to be esamined. 3. Such words as fire-proof, water-proof and heat-proof clothing just mean that the clothing blocks fire, water, or hear, and do not specifically include the meaning of protecting firefighters. Some word such as "firefighters' clothing" must be developed to imply all these types of blockage and protection. 4. Considering the rules of Korean orthography, the rules of romanization of borrowed words, and technical terms for clothing many technical words in the Korean standards for firefighters' uniforms are not appropriate, and need to be corrected and improved.