Gyeonggi Fire Department Special Prosecution Division: "Assaults on Firefighters Will Be Met with Zero-Tolerance Policy"

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon Reporter] The Special Prosecution Division of Gyeonggi Province Fire Department announced on the 6th that it is responding strictly to assault cases against firefighters under a zero-tolerance principle.

According to Gyeonggi Province Fire Department Disaster Headquarters, 19 assault cases against firefighters occurred in the province during the first half of this year, resulting in 24 victims.
Compared to the first half of 2019 (23 cases with 27 victims) and the first half of 2020 (20 cases with 24 victims), there is a slight downward trend; however, such incidents continue to occur.

The Special Prosecution Division of Gyeonggi Province Fire Department directly investigated 13 of the 19 assault cases that occurred in the first half of this year, applied violations of the Fire Services Act, and referred them to prosecutors.

As a result, the division has achieved outcomes including 2 cases of suspended imprisonment sentences, 2 cases of fines, and 9 cases pending trial. The remaining 6 cases were investigated by the Northern Fire Department (2 cases) and police (4 cases involving assaults on both firefighters and police).

The Fire Department attributes this achievement to the establishment of the Safety and Order Team in April last year, which is exclusively responsible for special prosecution duties.

Previously, assault cases against firefighters were handled independently by individual fire stations, with only 1-3 cases per year, making an effective response difficult.

The Safety and Order Team of the Fire Department is implementing strong measures, including 100% investigation and indictment of assault perpetrators and referral to prosecutors.

An examination of the 19 assault cases that occurred in the first half of this year shows that 17 cases involved physical assault, while damage to property and verbal abuse each accounted for 1 case.

Among the perpetrators, 79% (15 individuals) were intoxicated at the time of the incident, with most committing the crime under the influence of alcohol; 2 cases also involved individuals with mental illness.

Hong Jang-pyo, Director of Civil Safety at Gyeonggi Province Fire Department Disaster Headquarters, stated, "Enhancing the expertise of special prosecution investigations to protect the rights and interests of firefighters is the path to providing better fire services to residents," and added, "Assaults on firefighters and other acts that obstruct fire services are serious crimes that threaten community safety, and we will respond strictly."

Meanwhile, the current Fire Services Act stipulates that those who assault or threaten firefighters performing fire suppression, life-saving, or emergency medical services and obstruct fire department activities shall be punished with imprisonment of up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won.