"Firefighter's 5 million won repair cost, I'll pay it instead" donation messages continue

It has been reported that when the fire authorities, who forcibly opened the door at the Gwangju villa fire site to carry out rescue operations, faced a situation where they had to compensate for repair costs, donations to the fire station increased with requests to add to the repair expenses.

According to the Gwangju Northern Fire Station on the 25th, a total of 17 individuals or groups have visited the fire station or inquired about donations by phone from the 23rd to the present.

There were students who said they would cover the full repair cost of over 5 million won, including those who said they would donate the money they collected with friends.

The Northern Fire Department decided to support repair costs with Gwangju Fire Department funds, requesting understanding by saying "We will only accept your goodwill" and not accepting donations.

 

On the 11th of last month, a fire broke out on the second floor of a villa in Sinan-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, and firefighters forcibly opened the doors of six households while searching for victims.

Thick black smoke filled the villa, and knocking on the front doors of all units to alert residents to evacuate, but some units did not respond, raising the possibility of additional casualties.

The owner of the household where the fire occurred later died, and residents who were not covered by fire insurance requested the fire authorities to cover the costs of repairing the broken lock and the front door.

However, the fire authorities received a response from the administrative liability insurance company stating that compensation for the damage to the front door is not possible.

This is because compensation could only be received for property damage caused by firefighters' mistakes or illegal acts.

There was a budget of 10 million won allocated for damage compensation by the Gwangju Fire Department, but some opinions suggested that spending over 5 million won for repairs all at once was excessive.

On the previous day, Gwangju Mayor Kang Ki-jeong stated on his Facebook, "Firefighters rushing into fires should not have to worry about compensation," and "Unavoidable damage to residents is the same. The administration will take responsibility."

Gwangju Fire Department plans to support residents by holding a loss compensation committee for repair costs of over 5 million won for the front door and lock.

 

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It is well known that firefighters' working conditions are very poor.

Firefighters who diligently fulfill their duties shouldn't have to compensate because of their responsibilities.

Thank you firefighters, I always support and appreciate you~