• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
• /
• v.25 no.6_3
• /
• pp.1173-1182
• /
• 2022

According to the National Fire Agency, there were 61 traffic accidents of Fire engines in 2021. That is an increase of about 80% compared to the previous year. And the number of injuries and deaths increased by more than 300%. According to the survey of this study, less than 25% of firefighters wore seat belts of Fire engines during dispatch, contrary to the rapid increase in injuries and deaths. About the reasons for why firefighters do not wear seat belts, It can be found in aspects that are related to personal consciousness, organizational culture, and firefighting dispatch. The number of dispatches will increase in the future, this is considered to be a serious problem for the stability of the firefighting organization. In this study, a seat belt should be designed newly and proposed to improve the seat belt wearing policy.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.87-97
• /
• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to compare and analyze statistical data on 119 ambulance runs and ambulance crew, which are the components of the emergency medical services system in Korea and Japan. Methods: Data from National Fire Agencies of both Korea and Japan were collected and statistically compared. Results: With regard to the ratio of 119 ambulance runs, Korea's ratio has been gradually and continuously growing beyond that of Japan (Korea 4708.11, Japan 4706.47) since 2014. The ratio of firefighting ambulances in Korea was 2.59 ($2.59{\pm}0.10$), and was 4.76 ($4.76{\pm}0.12$) in Japan. The ratio of 119 ambulance crews in Korea was 15.55 ($15.55{\pm}2.03$), and was 47.24 ($47.24{\pm}1.06$) in Japan. Among the ambulance crews, the ratio of paramedics was 33.81 ($33.81{\pm}5.85$) in Korea and was 38.86($38.86{\pm}4.10$) in Japan. Conclusion: The ratio of 119 ambulance runs in Korea has already exceeded that of Japan, but the numbers of 119 ambulance crews and paramedics qualified for special emergency treatment are still insufficient. Therefore, supply and demand policy that promotes the development of the firefighting ambulance service system is necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.37 no.6
• /
• pp.136-147
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze four cases of firefighter burns in various fire scenes and to find prevention measures to decrease firefighter injuries. Among the analysis reports prepared by the National Fire Research Institute of Korea from 2016 to 2020, four burn-related accidents are summarized and the main causes are conveyed. The four accidents include second-degree burns from using extinguishers during containment of fires; nine firefighters burned due to re-ignition in the LPG car repair shop; two firefighters injured with third-degree burns from using fire extinguishers during life-saving events in residential housing; and injuries from the radiant heat of the tank BLEVE near the factory fire. These cases are comprehensively investigated in their respective scenes and analyzed based on the fire site investigation reports from the fire department and related theoretical explanations of risk for each accident scene. In the third case study, some experimental research is conducted to evaluate the risk involved with the use of safety gloves. This is evaluated by reviewing Fire Tactics and Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) to determine improvements and recommendations for an efficient firefighting response. Results show that the main causes of burn accidents are the insufficient use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety gloves, and the failure to follow firefighting tactics or SOPs. Through the accident investigation and assessment, it is concluded that to reduce the frequency of burn accidents, the performance of firefighting equipment, SOPs, protection tactics, and safety policy systems require improvement.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.501-508
• /
• 2024

Organizational citizenship behavior refers to the behavior of faithfully performing one's duties and being faithful to other roles. Firefighters' awareness of organizational citizenship behavior is closely related to national and individual safety and is very important. The smooth communication and cooperative attitude of fire department employees means organic unity at the disaster site. The purpose of this study was to analyze the awareness of organizational citizenship behavior among firefighters. As a result of analyzing the overall level of organizational citizenship behavior of firefighters, the average score was 3.83 points (out of 5). In particular, significant implications emerged regarding work-related appointment times and words and actions between co-workers. In the future, we hope that firefighting policy authorities will make a lot of efforts and academic research by subsequent generations will be conducted to make firefighting more trustworthy to the public.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.182-194
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study evaluates and recommends the priority of policy implementation to improve the fire protection clothing management system used by firefighters and the reduction of cross-contamination from contaminated clothing at the scene of a fire. Methods: It consisted of 7 experts and conducted three interviews and two modified Delphi surveys. Through the results of previous research and interviews with experts, a plan to reduce cross-contamination of fire suits and improve the management system was first derived. An improvement plan was presented in the four areas including resources, management, fire protection related work, and laws and regulations, and the priority of policy implementation was derived by analyzing the importance and practicality of the policy at the same time. Results: As a result of the analysis, the first priority was education on the health effects of pollutants at the disaster scene for firefighters, and the second priority was the addition of SOP for the primary decontamination of on-scene personal protective equipment in preparation for the health effects of the disaster scene, and education for fire suppression and rescue workers. The next step was to improve the management system of personal protective equipment such as fire suits and develop a training course for systematic operation. Conclusions: This findings could be used in the implementation of mid- to long-term firefighting policies for the systematic operation and establishment of a systematic management system for personal protective equipment such as fire protective suits.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.19-25
• /
• 2017

To minimize and prevent the increasing fire and personal injury, the domestic firefighting organizations are making continuous efforts to strengthen the response system and safety standards. "Fire Reduction Program" has been prepared to reduce the outbreak of fire up to 20% in the next 10 years, and the analysis of fire sources should be done and its countermeasures also should be done accordingly. Therefore, the management status, the improvement tasks, and the limitations of the implementation plan are reviewed and studied so that the implementation and goal of the "Fire Reduction Policy" can be achieved.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.560-571
• /
• 2020

Essential urban services that protect citizens' lives and property such as firefighting, disaster and crime prevention, should be provided equally to all citizens regardless of their location, personal status, and income. This paper analyzes the equality of firefighting services in spatial and social perspective in Daejeon Metropolitan City. For this the accessibility of fire service was analyzed for all settlements in the city. In addition, the distribution status of low-income class and forecasted income each region were compared to analyze whether the area where fire fighting service in 5 minutes was related to the distribution of income class. According to the analysis, the area where fire service can be provided within 5 minutes was 46.2% of Daejeon, and 98.0% of the population lived in this area. The proportion of old-age pensioners living in the area where fire service can't be provided within 5 minutes was 52.7%, reise than the average of 7.14% in Daejeon. In addition, in areas where the provision of firefighting services exceeds five minutes, the forecasted income tends to be lower in areas where service arrival is delayed. Therefore, it can be said that the economically vulnerable people living in the outskirts of Daejeon are not provided with equal urban services, and policy consideration is required accordingly.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.284-290
• /
• 2020

Background: Prevalence rates of smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among firefighters are remarkably high and substantially higher than similar occupational groups and the general U.S. population. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of fire service personnel regarding cancer and its associations with tobacco and SLT use. Methods: This descriptive study used a qualitative approach. Key informant interviews were conducted in 39 career firefighters and fire service administration from across the U.S. Discussion were recorded, transcribed verbatim and transferred to NVivo software for narrative analysis. Topics explored included cancer perceptions, attitudes and beliefs, and cultural factors related to SLT use behaviors. Results: Major themes that emerged among fire service personnel included concerns about cancer and its risk factors including firefighting tasks, such as fire overhaul operations, and from their lifestyle behaviors, such as alcohol and tobacco use. Firefighters also suggested a number of reasons for their increased SLT use, such as fire department tobacco-free policy and fire service culture. Conclusion: The current study provides a rich foundation for future research, prevention, and intervention efforts for the fire service and research communities regarding tobacco and SLT use and cancer risk. Additional research on firefighters' cancer beliefs deserves future research in order to improve messaging about the risks of cancer due to firefighting.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.572-582
• /
• 2014

Fire-stations' works limited to the existing fire protection rescue and emergency services in rapidly changing disaster environment are not difficult to deal with the fire service demand of the people any longer. In this study, after calculating the importance of the disaster management about fire-stations' works by disaster management steps thorough a survey of experts about Fire and Disaster, firefighting tasks are to be redesigned. Experts have the higher rating in preparation step of firefighting tasks. Because securing resources and building systems in preparation step and safety training in prevention step have a high importance, it is required to improve efficiency of firefighting tasks through redesign. The most important point in redesign is to realize fire-stations' works are to expand and to develop such a policy if fire-offices excavate the civil and government cooperation works and provide such legal and institutional basis of establishment and operation. And it should be sought to maintain international cooperation for international disaster response. Ultimately, fire-offices will have further expansion in quality and simultaneously quantitatively by excavating 'collaboration (business cooperation)' or enhancing existing works in addition to existing 'fire and rescue, first aid' business.

• Knowledge Management Research
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.23-42
• /
• 2023

This study originated from recognition of importance of firefighters' decision-making in fire response, coupled with existing gap in research. By utilizing Q-methodology, the study aimed to categorize firefighters' subjectivity in fire response decision-making. Through this categorization, the study sought to highlight insights into the current technological and data limitations, as well as potential directions for future R&D in the field of firefighting. The findings of the study revealed that firefighters' subjectivity could be classified into three factors: "emphasis on direct information related to rescue," "emphasis on information related to the target property," and "emphasis on information related to command and coordination." The study theoretically confirmed that the subjectivity of firefighters' decision-making in fire response is partially influenced by their experiences and job. Additionally, the study's significance lay in its approach of collecting specific decision-making factors in fire response, moving beyond general theoretical models. Furthermore, from a policy perspective, the typification of decision-making factors contributed to connecting the identified data-based administrative needs from prior studies. Insights from the study emphasized the importance of leveraging on-site experience in Korea to aid decision-making, calling for the development of equipment and data collection methods that can rapidly and accurately assess on-site conditions.