Pay for ‘national civil servant’ firefighters is on local governments... even the grant will be cut 27% next year [Firefighters, Tears in Red Uniforms]

Six years have passed since firefighters became national civil servants, but the structure in which local governments bear most personnel costs remains unchanged, reigniting debate over how the costs should be shared. Firefighters’ personnel costs rise every year with promotions and increases in pay grade, while the Fire Safety Grant, a source of central government funding, fluctuates with tobacco tax revenue. The grant is expected to fall 27.6% next year from this year. With the debate reignited by Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae’s “fiscal straw” remark, calls are growing for stable funding for the fire service that would strengthen the central government’s fiscal responsibility and ease the burden on local governments.
According to the government’s 2027 budget proposal, on the 20th the Fire Safety Grant for next year will amount to 760.5 billion won, down 289.8 billion won (27.6%) from this year. The Fire Safety Grant is funded by 45% of the individual consumption tax levied on tobacco. Even as the budget needed for firefighters’ personnel costs and equipment purchases grows, the grant shrinks if falling tobacco consumption reduces tax revenue. This is why critics say the funding is not linked to the financial needs of fire services on the ground.
Firefighters’ personnel costs are an expense that must be paid every year. According to the National Assembly Research Service, personnel costs for firefighters covered by local governments’ general accounts rose by 198.08 billion won, from 344.2 billion won in 2019 to 542.28 billion won in 2025. Of the total 636.32 billion won budget for firefighters’ personnel costs in 2025, the Fire Safety Grant contributed just 54.76 billion won, or 8.6%. This structure stems from the system established when firefighters became national civil servants in April 2020. Their civil service status was standardized as national, but responsibility for fire services remained with local governments.
Yet personnel costs continue to rise with promotions and increases in pay grade, even after staffing levels have been expanded. Meanwhile, the amount of central government support is not tied to the actual increase in personnel costs. Local governments must make up the shortfall from their own budgets. Concerns are growing that areas with limited local finances may have less money to spend on replacing firefighting equipment or renovating aging fire stations.
The issue of sharing fire-service costs resurfaced after Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae’s “fiscal straw” remark during the National Assembly’s audit of Gyeonggi Province on the 13th. The Democratic Party has also begun reviewing financial and institutional measures to improve firefighters’ working conditions and close gaps in fire services between regions. Some are also calling for a review of how funding is raised, alongside the level of central government support for personnel costs, to make fire-service finances more stable.
[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter