Two firemen were killed Saturday during an operation to battle a blaze in a warehouse in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, according to the fire authorities.
They are 40-year-old Lee Jae-man and 32-year-old Han Sang-yun from Songtan Fire Station.
Lee and Han arrived at the scene along with three other firemen after a major fire broke out at the furniture warehouse at around 9 a.m. on Saturday.
They immediately began firefighting and rescue operations. Shortly after they entered the building, they were told to pull out due to intense toxic gas and heat.
While the rest made it safely, two failed to escape the building because parts of the roof and structure collapsed on them, witnesses said.
Upon the news of their death, the whole nation mourned with thousands of citizens coming to the funeral hall to pay their respects. Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik also paid a visit Sunday and met with the bereaved and offered his condolences.
“They died while doing a good thing,” Kim said to the mourners. “Don’t be discouraged and be strong.”
On Saturday, Rep. Won Yu-chul, chairman of the National Defense Committee, Kim Moon-su, the governor of Gyeonggi Province and Kim Sun-gi, mayor of Pyeongtaek City, also visited the funeral hall.
The Internet and SNS such as Twitter were flooded with messages from people expressing their condolences.
“I hope they can rest in peace, and I also hope other firemen can work without worries in the face of such horrible incidents,” a Twitter user with ID @kim—**** said.
Some other people also launched a campaign to raise a scholarship fund for the children of the deceased firemen on the Internet.
Funeral services will be held today at the fire station with the participation of family members of the deceased, their colleagues and government officials.
Lee, who worked as a fireman since October, 1996, is survived by his wife and two children. His brother also works as a fireman in Hawseong Fire Station.
Han was appointed as a fireman in November, 2004, and is survived by his wife and two children.
The fire was extinguished at around 10:00 a.m., with the assistance of 150 firemen from six nearby fire stations. The fire burned down the two-story building and caused damage worth about 80 million won. [email protected]
EDITORIALS/OPINIONS/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Death of firefighters
Prevention is the best way to avoid mishap
Firefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Two Korean firefighters were killed on Saturday when they tried to put out a blaze at a furniture exhibition hall in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. They were Lee Jae-man, 40, and Han Sang-yoon, 32. What a noble sacrifice they made! May they rest in peace!
The nation should make the utmost effort to ensure that their deaths were not in vain. As a matter of fact, they are among the six firefighters who perished this year while carrying out their duty. Fire claimed six firefighters in 2006, seven in 2007, nine in 2008, three in 2009 and 10 in 2010.
The figures indicate that firefighters run the persistent risk of death. Besides, more than 300 firefighters sustain injuries every year. What really matters is that the situation shows no sign of improving to prevent such mishaps.
Whenever fire claims a firefighter, the authorities give the victim a posthumous promotion and a medal of merit. Financial compensation and a pension are available to the victim’s family. Those who braved the fire and lost their lives are worth more than the citations and rewards. They rightly deserve honor and respect from all walks of life.
However, the truth is that firefighters find it hard to enjoy respect from Korean society. It is necessary for the people to change their awareness about and attitude toward firefighters who work to ensure the safety of our lives and the protection of our property in emergency situations.
We have to ask the question: What has our society done to ensure the safety of firefighters? Firefighters, in fact, are struggling under bad working conditions. They have to fight fatigue due to overwork. More serious is that they have to grapple with a lack of firefighting equipment. Provincial and municipal authorities are refusing to replace aged equipment, citing budgetary strain.
Now, the central government should allocate more of its budget to modernizing firefighting equipment and systems. Only then can the nation reduce or prevent the death of firefighters. It is also important to improve their working conditions and get them better treatment in their profession.
