[Editorial] 2 Trillion Won for Fire Services Is a Stopgap; Fundamental Funding Measures Are Needed

The government and ruling party have agreed to provide local governments with around 2 trillion won for firefighting. They also agreed to provide additional funding for fire suppression equipment, training facilities, specialized medical services for firefighters, and other needs. The 9th marks the 64th Firefighting Day.
Last year, the firefighting budget was about 8.1 trillion won, but national funding accounted for just 10.7%, with local governments covering the rest. More than three-quarters of the budget—6.3632 trillion won—went to personnel costs. In 2020, under the Moon Jae-in administration, firefighters were reclassified as national civil servants, but local governments still cover most of their personnel costs. This mismatch between administrative responsibility and funding has persisted for six years. Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae brought the issue to the fore, calling firefighting “a drain on public finances.”
Since the Moon Jae-in administration, the firefighting workforce has grown by nearly 20,000, further increasing the burden on local governments. With no regard for budget constraints, staffing alone was expanded, leaving local governments hard-pressed to cover payroll and unable to invest actively in equipment and facilities. This worsened fire damage and cost the lives of firefighters who went out to fight fires.
Local governments in better financial shape are at least in a better position. Firefighting budgets vary according to each local government's fiscal condition. Last year, per-firefighter spending on uniforms was 250,000 won in Busan and Jeju, compared with 700,000 won in Ulsan. It is also a problem that people do not receive equal firefighting services across local governments.
Even if 2 trillion won is provided to local governments, it will not fully solve the problem. Fundamental measures are needed. The Moon administration bears much of the responsibility for expanding the firefighting workforce without regard for fiscal constraints. The 2 trillion won may put out the most urgent fires for now, but stable, sustainable funding for firefighting must be secured.
Moreover, if anyone is considering taking the 2 trillion won from the Future Fund, they should abandon the idea immediately. The Future Fund should be used with an eye to the nation's future and to advance and innovate the economy and science—not raided like a personal piggy bank. Even if money from the fund is used, what will they do if the fund runs dry in the future?
Disasters are growing in scale and spreading over wider areas. The role and responsibilities of the fire service are growing accordingly. Recent major wildfires have shown that a fire can spread across the country, rather than being contained and extinguished within the local government where it began. This makes it necessary to overhaul the administrative structure of the fire service.
The responsibility for fighting increasingly large-scale disasters lies with the national government, not local governments. That is ample reason to align the fire service's administration and funding. Local governments should, of course, also take part in disaster response, but the system must be shifted to one led by the national government. Simply reclassifying firefighters as national civil servants does not make the fire service a national service.
Above all, the tragic deaths of firefighters while battling blazes must not happen again. Expanding the use of firefighting equipment such as robots and drones could reduce casualties. Funding for firefighting is not something that should be skimped on.