Firefighters Save Commuter in Cardiac Arrest and Prevent Tunnel Fire... 166 Million Won Awarded to 69

[Financial News]  Firefighters who performed CPR on a citizen who collapsed on the way to work and those who extinguished a tunnel fire while traveling on official business, preventing a major accident, have received special achievement awards.
The National Fire Agency (NFA) announced on the 6th that it had selected 30 outstanding achievements in disaster response and administration for the 2026 Special Achievement Awards. A total of 166 million won in prize money was awarded to 69 firefighters who led these efforts, the NFA said on the same day.
The awards were held for the second time this year, following the first-half awards in June. The final recipients were selected through public evaluations and reviews by the Central Committee for Merit Review, after cases had been reviewed internally by the NFA and city and provincial fire departments. Depending on evaluation scores, each case received between 1 million and 10 million won.
The field-response category included several cases in which citizens were rescued outside the firefighters’ working hours.
One recognized case involved performing CPR on a citizen who collapsed on the way to work and restoring spontaneous circulation. Another involved quickly extinguishing a fire in an 8-ton refrigerated truck that broke out in a tunnel while firefighters were traveling on official business, thereby preventing a major loss of life.
Another award went to firefighters who found and rescued a citizen attempting to jump from a building rooftop on their day off. The awards also included a case in which firefighters identified the location of an unresponsive 119 caller using clues from the caller’s SNS profile photo and carried out a rescue.
Cases involving improvements to systems and policies were also selected. Examples included establishing emergency medical cooperation models with military units and medical institutions that reflected local characteristics, and creating a smart disaster command system using drones.
A control and management system was also recognized for attaching reflective markings to the tops of fire vehicles so their departments and vehicle names could be identified, allowing the vehicles to be distinguished from the air. An air ambulance model designed to overcome the geographic limitations of island regions was also included among the award-winning cases.
Choi Yong-cheol, commissioner of the National Fire Agency, said, "We are working to identify and honor the dedication and creative achievements demonstrated across disaster sites and administrative operations." He added, "We will continue operating the awards system so that the efforts of firefighters who work to protect the lives and safety of the public are recognized fairly and in a timely manner."

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter