Only 16 teenage firefighters passed last year's recruitment exams

Out of 20,142 applicants during last year's firefighter recruitment, only 16 teenagers passed the exams, representing less than 1% of all new recruits. While young people like Park Gi-beom and Jo Ye-won have achieved their dreams, 42 firefighters have died in the line of duty over the past 10 years.

Why do they choose to become firefighters at nineteen?

Teenage firefighters make up less than 1% of all new recruits.

What systems are in place to protect the dreams of young people aspiring to be firefighters?

SBS 'News Story' introduces the special stories of teenage firefighters and explores what changes are needed to sustain the dream of saving lives.

Young people who became firefighters in their teens

Firefighters who rush into flames to save people are objects of admiration for young children. However, that dream often fades as they grow up. In the 'Elementary School Career Education Status Survey' released annually by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea, it is difficult to find the name of "firefighter." Yet, there are young people who did not give up on that dream and even became firefighters in their teens. Park Gi-beom, a firefighter at the Segyo 119 Safety Center of the Osan Fire Station, who has dreamed of being a firefighter since the sixth grade, passed the firefighter recruitment exam last year at the age of 19. His reason for choosing this career early on was that it is "one of the few jobs where you can help others to your heart's content and hear words of gratitude." As a member of the fire suppression team, who are the first to arrive at fire or rescue scenes, Park showed passion by studying the names and usage of his assigned equipment even on his days off, stating, "Regardless of age, one must be a professional on the scene." Jo Ye-won, a firefighter at the Bijeon 119 Safety Center of the Pyeongtaek Fire Station who became a firefighter at age 18, followed in her father's footsteps to become a firefighter in her teens. As a member of the fire suppression team, she handles not only "extinguishing" duties but also "driver" duties, such as operating pump trucks and tank trucks. These were all results she achieved through her own initiative and preparation. Jo expressed her ambition, saying, "I want to grow into a firefighter who performs my role perfectly wherever I am."

Teenage firefighters make up less than 1% of all new recruits

The minimum age for the open competitive recruitment exam for firefighters was lowered to 18 in 2017, and this was applied to career competitive recruitment starting from 2023. During last year's firefighter recruitment, out of 20,142 applicants, there were 274 applicants in their teens, and 16 passed. Although they represent a tiny minority of less than 1% every year, teenage firefighters are being produced steadily. This signifies that aspirants dreaming of becoming firefighters from their youth continue to emerge. The reason for this? The production team visited the first Meister High School in the fire field located in Yeongwol, Gangwon-do, to meet students sweating toward their dream of becoming firefighters. In addition to preparing physical strength to become firefighters, they were also undergoing training to acquire professional fire technology to prepare for increasingly complex and large-scale disasters.

Young people dreaming of being firefighters: Are the systems to protect those dreams sufficient?

Young people dream of being firefighters and some have achieved that dream early. Can the scenes they will move toward in the future become safer than they are now? Unfortunately, accidents where firefighters die in the line of duty at fire or disaster scenes continue to occur. A total of 42 firefighters have died in the line of duty over the past 10 years. The tragic reality remains that firefighters, who respond to save someone's life, are unable to protect their own lives. While issues such as the command system and shortage of suppression personnel have been continuously raised, the procedures to check whether improvement measures are being properly implemented in the field remain insufficient. Voices from the field also point out that the fire suppression allowance, which has been frozen for 26 years, and the fire service finances, which still rely heavily on local governments even after the transition to national status, are tasks that must be resolved. The program explores what realities must change so that firefighters can more safely protect the lives and property of the people.

SBS 'News Story' airs on Saturday at 8:00 AM on the 7th.

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