'Why did this happen to my dad?' Wildfire tragedy sparks scrutiny over aging response teams

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'Why did this happen to my dad?' Wildfire tragedy sparks scrutiny over aging response teams

Published: 24 Mar. 2025, 10:31 Updated: 24 Mar. 2025, 13:25

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A helicopter pours water on the wildfire in Sangcheong County, South Gyeongsang, on March 23, three days after the fire started. [YONHAP]

“My dad... why did this happen to him?”

The daughter of Lee, a 64-year-old member of Changnyeong County's wildfire prevention and response team, struggled to find words at a funeral set up at the county in South Gyeongsang on Sunday.

Lee had been dispatched to fight a wildfire Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang, on Saturday but did not return home.

He was among four people who lost their lives in the blaze, including fellow members of the response team Hwang, aged 63, Gong, aged 60, as well as a supervising official, Kang, who was 33.

The four had been deployed to a site designated under Korea’s highest wildfire emergency level, Level 3.

According to fire authorities, at around 2:50 p.m. on Saturday, the Korea Forest Service (KFS) received a report that nine members of Changnyeong County’s response team were trapped by flames near a ridge of Mount Gugok in Sancheong. While five were rescued, the bodies of the four victims were discovered between 3:50 p.m. and 8:10 p.m.

The KFS explained the team’s placement in the area, stating, “We allocate response zones to about 100 teams based on changing conditions throughout the day. The Changnyeong County team was assigned to this area because of existing forest roads and their capability to cover it. It appears they were unable to escape when the fire spread due to shifting winds.”

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The fact that three of the fallen response team members were in their 60s has raised questions about why older personnel were assigned to such a high-risk operation.

Korea’s wildfire prevention and response teams were introduced by the KFS in 2003 and are typically recruited by local governments to operate for six to seven months a year, excluding summer. As of now, 9,064 personnel serve in these teams. Any resident aged 18 or older can apply, but due to labor shortages in rural and mountainous areas, the workforce has aged significantly. In 2022, the average age of team members was 61, with 33.7 percent 65 or older.

Although job postings for these teams mention physical fitness tests, many believe they are perfunctory due to the large number of older applicants. A local government official in North Chungcheong Province said, “Young people rarely apply. The fitness test mostly consists of carrying a 15-kilogram [33-pound] water pump while walking at a fast pace.”

A man looks at a burnt house, which belongs to his mother on March 23, after a massive wildfire hit Sicheon-myeon in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang from March 21. [NEWS1]

Recruitment criteria prioritize applicants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds while restricting those with higher incomes or assets exceeding 400 million won ($300,000).

Members primarily focus on wildfire prevention but are dispatched for firefighting duties when fires break out. They work eight-hour shifts at minimum wage, undergo training from the Korea Forest Fire Management Association and participate in drills.

However, concerns persist about their aging workforce and limited capabilities in high-risk situations.

“Wildfire response teams must have the skills to not only suppress fires but also protect themselves in emergencies. This should not be treated as a public job program like senior employment initiatives,” said Lee Si-young, an honorary professor at Kangwon National University’s Graduate School of Disaster Prevention.

“Given their responsibilities, prioritizing disadvantaged applicants in recruitment criteria is questionable. Without structural changes, similar accidents will happen again. Improving selection standards and training is crucial.”

Meanwhile, some surviving response team members have claimed they were not provided with adequate protective gear.

“We did not receive proper equipment, such as fire-resistant clothing,” one member, who asked not to be identified, said.

The KFS refuted the claim saying, "we provided appropriate protective gear including flame-resistant suits," however it added that as some firefighters may work for over 10 hours when they are sent to an accident scene, there are some differences in the equipment offered to response teams and firefighters.

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY KIM MIN-JU, PARK JONG-SUH, KIM YEON-JOO, CHOI JONG-KWON [[email protected]]