Firefighter, trainees die while trying to save dog

A fire truck from Asan Fire Station was hit by a 25-ton truck from behind on a local road in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, on Friday morning. The accident killed one firefighter and two trainees at the scene who went there to rescue a dog. / Yonhap

By Ko Dong-hwan

A firefighter and her two trainees were killed on duty Friday as a result of a collision while trying to save a dog.

The collision occurred on Road 43 in Sinnam-ni village in Dunpyo-myeon County in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

The female firefighter, 29, from Asan Fire Station, and two female trainees, 23 and 30, arrived at the scene in a 7.5-ton fire truck after receiving a call that a leashed dog was there. They had gotten off the fire truck to prepare for the rescue mission.

A 25-ton truck rammed the fire truck from behind, pushing it over the three, killing them at the site.

The driver of the truck and the fire truck driver were taken to a hospital in Gyeonggi Province.

Investigation at the site found a skid mark over 50 meters long. The fire truck's rear left was also found to be heavily damaged.

The Asan rescue authority paid condolences to the late firefighter by promoting her posthumously, and conferred on her a national honor reserved for public servants who make outstanding contributions to society.

Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum leaves Onyang Funeral Hall in Asan where the deceased firefighter and trainees were laid amid scorns from bereaved family members. / Yonhap

Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who oversees the National Fire Agency, visited Onyang Funeral Hall in Asan where the bodies of the deceased were laid.

“I am speechless in front of the continuing deaths of our firefighters in unpredictable accidents,” Kim said.

Bereaved family members who were not debriefed by the fire agency about the accident's details until six hours after they arrived at the funeral hall criticized Kim for the agency's negligence. He left the hall with finger-pointing and screaming at his back.

Staffers of Asan Fire Station stand in grief in front of their deceased fellow firefighters at Onyang Funeral Hall in Asan. / Yonhap

Family members of the deceased who quickly gathered at the funeral hall were grieving. Parents of the two trainees from Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province and Pohang in North Gyeongsang Province burst into tears when they saw the bodies of their daughters.

The mother-in-law of the late firefighter arrived at the funeral hall first among the bereaved family members and lamented that she died “just because of a dog.” The firefighter's mother who arrived later sobbed, then fell unconscious and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

The fire agency released statistics Friday stating that 51 firefighters have died on duty in the past 10 years. Nineteen of them died while extinguishing fires and 17 died during rescue missions. Three died during training.