The National Fire Agency said on the 17th it selected 22 outstanding achievements that improved public safety for special performance bonuses in the first half of this year. After official and public reviews, bonuses will be paid ranging from a maximum of 20 million won to 1 million won.
The top bonus of 20 million won went to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters for "the turnout gear that fought flames now protects the skies." Spurred by a thermal runaway fire from an auxiliary battery on an aircraft in Jan. 2025, the team up-cycled high-heat-resistant aramid material from expired turnout gear to produce fireproof packs for auxiliary batteries.
Its effectiveness was proven through 100 repeated tests, and it earned high marks for being applicable not only to aircraft but also to diverse settings such as maritime and rail.
The North Jeolla Fire Headquarters and the North Gyeongsang Fire Headquarters will each receive 10 million won. The North Jeolla Fire Headquarters implemented a dispatch system that guides responders along the shortest route to individual stalls within traditional markets. With the introduction of the intelligent dispatch system, pump truck arrival time was cut from 9 minutes to 7 minutes 20 seconds, and ambulance arrival time from 7 minutes 5 seconds to 4 minutes 13 seconds.
The North Gyeongsang Fire Headquarters organized, for the first time in the nation, a dedicated force of 2,588 personnel including a rapid wildfire response team and volunteer fire brigades, and quickly contained the Gyeongju and Uiseong wildfires. There were no casualties.
Other standout achievements included developing a fire AI and big data platform, introducing automatic dispersal extinguishers for dwellings without sprinklers, and providing an automatic enrollment service for fire safety insurance for vulnerable households.