South Korea’s National Fire Agency establishes a goal of 69.4% arrival rate within seven minutes at fire scenes for the current year. Officials announced this target as part of the “2026 National Fire Golden Standard Performance Evaluation” survey on March 17.
Recent Achievements and Improvements
Last year, the agency targeted 68.7% for seven-minute arrivals at fire sites but achieved 69.3%, surpassing the goal by 0.6 percentage points.
Key Strategies to Boost Response Times
The agency collaborates with organizations such as the Small Business Market Promotion Agency and KB Kookmin Card to develop a “total manager leadership support system.” This initiative tracks manager vehicle locations precisely and provides optimal entry routes, enabling safer and faster arrivals compared to previous methods limited to on-site managers.
Adoption of the 119 Pass system, which personalizes public transportation information on cards, rises from around 20% last year to over 40% this year. This tool proves vital for rapid responses to incidents like large hospital fires, significantly reducing travel time.
Additional measures include the “helmet-free drive-thru sentinel system” at education centers, targeting improvements in driver comfort and addressing job-related issues such as chronic fatigue and operational inefficiencies. Officials project a more than 5% overall enhancement across these areas.
The agency also partners with TBN Gyeongdong Broadcasting to deliver practical safety programs, including fundamental flight support for operators.
Leadership Perspective
Acting President Kim Seong-ryong states, “Full seven-minute arrivals at fire scenes represent the gold standard, as panic outside four minutes can be life-threatening.” He adds, “Integrating affordable traffic systems with accurate real-time information for drivers allows us to save even more lives.”
