Siheung Fire Station has officially launched the 'Multicultural Specialized Volunteer Fire Brigade' to address the safety blind spots experienced by foreign residents and multicultural families, and it has begun full-scale activities. At the inauguration ceremony held on July 8 at the Jeongwang Lifelong Learning Center in Siheung City, 25 members from 9 countries participated, solidifying their commitment to contributing to the establishment of a safety culture in Korean society.
Siheung City: Transition to a Multicultural City and the Importance of Safety As of the end of May 2025, Siheung City is a representative multicultural city with 71,585 foreign residents, accounting for approximately 12.2% of its total population. This demographic shift brings vitality to the local community while also demanding new approaches to safety issues that foreign residents may encounter due to language barriers or cultural differences. Especially in the event of a fire or disaster, difficulties in language communication can lead to missing the golden hour, further increasing the importance of safety education and information dissemination for foreigners.
Multicultural Volunteer Fire Brigade: A 'Bridge' for Foreigner Safety The newly launched Multicultural Specialized Volunteer Fire Brigade is primarily composed of naturalized citizens and permanent residents of foreign origin. They will utilize their native language skills to provide foreign language interpretation services at fire and rescue sites and play a crucial role in effectively delivering Korea's disaster response system and fire safety education to foreign residents. Furthermore, based on their connections within foreign communities, they will serve as a 'bridge' to help residents unfamiliar with Korean culture respond more quickly and accurately in emergency situations.
Beyond mere interpretation, the Multicultural Volunteer Fire Brigade will actively participate in prevention efforts, such as proactively identifying fire vulnerabilities in areas with high foreign populations and developing customized fire safety education programs for multicultural families. Their activities are expected to significantly contribute to foreign residents' stable settlement in Korean society and their ability to live in a safe environment.
Expectations and Aspirations: Towards a Safer Siheung City Na Mi-young (from Mongolia), the first commander of the Siheung Multicultural Specialized Volunteer Fire Brigade, expressed her great honor and pledged, "I will actively serve to ensure that all multicultural families residing in Siheung City can live safely."
Lee Jeong-yong, head of the Siheung Fire Station, emphasized, "Considering the increasing trend of multicultural households in Siheung City, the role of the Multicultural Specialized Volunteer Fire Brigade for their safety and welfare is very important," and he urged, "We expect them to play a significant role in creating a safer Siheung City by becoming a bridge that spreads safety culture to foreign citizens."
The launch of the Multicultural Specialized Volunteer Fire Brigade by Siheung Fire Station is expected to be evaluated as a successful example of innovative safety policy that keeps pace with changes in the local community. This will be an important step towards creating a society where all citizens, regardless of nationality, can live safely and equally, going beyond merely preparing for disasters.
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