The National Fire Agency said on the 19th it has completed selecting a pool of 150 personnel for the international rescue team.
The international rescue team is an official overseas disaster response unit that is dispatched to affected areas in the event of major disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfires to conduct life searches, rescues, and recovery operations. Since its launch, it has been deployed 19 times to 17 countries, rescuing and recovering 569 people.
This year, a medical unit was newly established. The National Fire Agency said it strengthened on-site medical expertise by publicly selecting 10 licensed nurses and emergency medical technicians for the first time.
It also extended the service term from one year to two years. The National Fire Agency expected this would help build real-world experience and strengthen teamwork.
The National Fire Agency also plans to expand and train urban search coordination experts (UC) from the current 4 to 14, and grade (re)classification evaluators from 4 to 8.
National Fire Agency Commissioner Kim Seung-ryong said, "We will enhance the professional capabilities of our members and build an elite rescue team that the public and people around the world can trust at large-scale disaster sites."