44% of Firefighters Experience "PTSD and Sleep Disorders"... 5% at High Risk of Suicide

Fire Agency, Survey Results on Firefighters' Mental Health

A survey revealed that more than four out of ten firefighters suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or sleep disorders.

On the 4th, the National Fire Agency announced the results of the '2023 Firefighter Mental Health Survey,' conducted from March to May last year on 52,802 firefighters in collaboration with the Public Medical Service Group of Bundang Seoul National University Hospital. The results showed that 23,060 firefighters, accounting for 43.9% of the total, were classified as a risk group requiring management or treatment for at least one of four major psychological disorders: PTSD, depressive symptoms, sleep disorders, and problematic drinking.

The funeral ceremony for the late Fire Sergeant Kim Su-gwang and Fire Corporal Park Su-hoon is being held around 10 a.m. on the 3rd at Dongnak Hall, Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

By disorder (multiple responses allowed), sleep disorders accounted for 27.2%, problematic drinking 26.4%, PTSD 6.5%, and depressive symptoms 6.3%. Compared to the previous year, PTSD decreased by 6.5 percentage points (P), depressive symptoms by 1.3%P, and sleep disorders by 2.6%P, while problematic drinking increased by 0.2%P.

The risk of suicide was also found to be high. The high-risk suicide group numbered 2,587 (4.9%), and among them, 4,465 firefighters (8.5%) reported having thought about suicide at least once in the past year. Additionally, the average number of traumatic incidents (events that can cause PTSD) experienced during firefighting activities in the past year was 5.9, the same as the previous year. The proportion of firefighters who experienced more than 15 traumatic incidents in one year was as high as 10.7%.

A National Fire Agency official stated, "Although the mental health status of firefighters improved last year due to the endemic, many still urgently require management," adding, "With the increased burden of responding to large-scale accidents due to abnormal weather, it is necessary to expand treatment support systems."

Meanwhile, following the tragic deaths of Fire Sergeant Kim Sugwang (27) and Fire Lieutenant Park Suhun (35), who died in the line of duty while responding to a fire at a meat processing plant in Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk, on the 31st of last month, there are calls for the development of technologies to protect firefighters at disaster sites.

Of the National Fire Agency's budget of 340.4 billion KRW this year, 258.8 billion KRW is allocated to major projects excluding personnel and basic expenses. This includes 221.4 billion KRW for 30 general projects, 15.2 billion KRW for 3 informatization projects, and 22.2 billion KRW for 10 research and development (R&D) projects. The proportion of projects researching and developing advanced technologies such as robots and drones to protect firefighters' lives accounts for less than 10% of the total project budget. The National Fire Agency's R&D budget showed an increasing trend from 20.7 billion KRW in 2021 to 23.1 billion KRW in 2022 and 26.1 billion KRW last year, but decreased by 14.9% to 22.2 billion KRW this year compared to the previous year.