Thousands of violations of hazardous material rules are uncovered in South Korea every year, even as firefighters continue to die in the line of duty — most recently in a blaze at a factory in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 16th of this month, following a fire in Wando, Jeollanam-do, in April. Violations rose more than 40% last year from a year earlier, but most enforcement actions amounted to administrative measures such as corrective orders.
A total of 4,832 violations were found in hazardous material fire inspections nationwide last year, up 40.5% from 3,438 a year earlier, according to the National Fire Agency on the 19th. Of the 6,327 resulting actions, only 290, or 4.6%, led to criminal referrals, and 391, or 6.2%, resulted in fines. Administrative orders accounted for 5,624 cases, or 88.9%. Corrective orders were the most common at 4,365, while suspensions of use numbered seven and no permits were revoked.
Because hazardous materials can cause mass casualties in a fire or explosion, the Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act requires that quantities above designated thresholds be stored and handled at licensed facilities as a general rule. The problem is not only that thousands of violations are detected each year but also that missing or inaccurate risk information about a facility can endanger firefighters themselves. Fire authorities identify hazards at a scene based on facility data gathered in advance, so when that information fails to reach them, crews can be deployed without fully understanding the risks. Of the 28 firefighters recognized as having died in the line of hazardous duty between October 2018 and the end of last year, 21, or 75%, were killed while fighting fires or carrying out rescues.
Shortcomings in relaying risk information have been raised repeatedly in cases where firefighters died. In the cold storage warehouse fire in Wando, a lack of information about building hazards, including urethane foam finishing materials, was cited as one cause of the accident. In the Bucheon factory fire, the Korean Firefighters Labor Union said the first crews to enter the site were told only about 30 minutes later that large quantities of flammable substances such as thinner and paint were stored there.
Firefighters in the field say oversight of hazardous materials must be strengthened and that rules should be revised so that those who provide false risk information or omit it at a fire scene can be held accountable. Kong Ha-sung, a professor of fire and disaster prevention at Woosuk University, stressed that "the information and command systems need to be improved so that risk information reaches responding crews quickly, and national budget support is also needed to strengthen the expertise of commanders and expand safety equipment."
Meanwhile, a funeral for the late Fire Lieutenant Kim Jin-seok, who died at the Bucheon factory fire, was held as a Gyeonggi provincial funeral at Bucheon Gymnasium on the morning of the same day. About 2,730 people, including bereaved family members and fellow firefighters, attended to see him off. Kim had been dispatched to the fire about 20 minutes before the end of his shift. In her eulogy, Gyeonggi Governor Choo Mi-ae said, "We failed to protect a firefighter who rushed to the scene to save lives," and pledged to create a safer working environment.