The National Fire Agency issued a 'national fire mobilization order' in relation to the structural collapse accident that occurred at a highway construction site in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 25th.
The national fire mobilization order is a measure to deploy fire resources to disaster sites at the national level when it is difficult for the firefighting forces of the city or province to cope with an outbreak or imminent disaster. It entails supporting the insufficient firefighting resources from nearby areas in case of an emergency.
The National Fire Agency issued the first fire mobilization order related to the incident that day. Fire mobilization orders are classified into levels 1, 2, and 3 according to the scale and situation of the disaster. The level increases based on the scale of the mobilized firefighting forces, with larger numbers indicating greater disaster damage.
In terms of mobilization scale and equipment criteria, level 1 involves fewer than 250 people and fewer than 100 units; level 2 involves between 250 and fewer than 500 people and between 100 and fewer than 200 units; and level 3 involves 500 or more people and 200 or more units. For mobilization areas, level 1 is less than 8 cities or provinces, level 2 is between 8 and 13 cities or provinces, and level 3 is 14 or more cities or provinces.
In the last five years, fire mobilization orders have been issued a total of 34 times. Starting with one issuance in 2019, there were five in 2020, three in 2021, nine in 2022, and eleven in 2023, followed by five issuances last year.
Fire authorities primarily issue mobilization orders when wildfires break out, but they may also issue them as needed during disaster situations. A mobilization order was also issued during the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster last December, which claimed 179 lives. A mobilization order was also issued during the 'Uljin wildfire incident' in March 2022, which saw the longest ongoing wildfire in the country since statistics on wildfires began being compiled. On the day the wildfire broke out, level 1 mobilization orders were issued four times.