Fire Agency Organizational Restructuring to Strengthen '119 On-Site Response Capability'... Announcement of Revised Organizational Chart

Strengthening Public Safety through Proactive Response to Rapidly Changing Disaster Environments

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency announced on the 23rd that they will promulgate a revised National Fire Agency organizational reform plan on the 24th to strengthen the rapid and systematic 119 on-site response capabilities. Accordingly, the National Fire Agency is undertaking an organizational restructuring focused on on-site response to prepare for and respond to disasters at the national level.

The organizational reform plan establishes a new Equipment Technology Bureau and reinforces personnel for systematic management of firefighting equipment, while also creating a Response Coordination Division to strengthen the overall command function of disaster response, enabling rapid on-site activities from the early stages of a disaster.

The Response Coordination Division will unify all disaster response coordination, operation of the Central Emergency Rescue Control Team, and nationwide mobilization of firefighting forces. Additionally, to enhance systematic management of hazardous materials and accident prevention functions, a Hazardous Materials Safety Division will be established, and personnel will be reinforced for health and safety policies for firefighting officers. Furthermore, to operate the organization efficiently in line with changes in the firefighting environment, similar and overlapping functions will be integrated, and bureau and division names will be changed to be more easily understood by the public. The Information and Statistics Officer’s Office and the Aviation Communications Division (information and communications sector) will be integrated into the Information and Communications Division; the Fire Policy Bureau will be renamed the Fire Prevention Bureau; the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Bureau will become the 119 Response Bureau; and the Equipment Planning Division will be changed to the Equipment Coordination Division.

With this organizational reform, the National Fire Agency will have an organization aligned with the disaster management system. It is expected to proactively respond to rapidly changing disaster environments such as large-scale and special disasters. Minister Jeon Hae-cheol stated, “Through this organizational reform, we will contribute to boosting the morale of firefighting officers and minimizing damage to lives and property by establishing field-centered firefighting policies and strengthening response capabilities.”