Forced Drinking, Dehumanizing Treatment Rife Among Firefighters; Agency to Unveil Comprehensive Measures by September

A survey of approximately 65,000 firefighters nationwide has revealed that organizational injustices—such as pressure to attend drinking parties and dehumanizing treatment between colleagues and seniors—have reached serious levels. On the 21st, the National Fire Agency (NFA) announced these results and stated it would unveil a comprehensive plan by September to overhaul the organizational culture.

Regarding experiences of injustice over the past year, 6.4% of all respondents (1,036 people) reported receiving dehumanizing treatment from colleagues or seniors during work. This was followed by 4.9% (785 people) who experienced demands for personal favors, and 4.3% (686 people) who were pressured into unfair drinking culture. In terms of the perpetrators, team leaders were most frequently responsible for demanding personal favors and enforcing unfair drinking culture, while dehumanizing treatment was found to be primarily inflicted by colleagues and seniors (35.7%).

The rate of reporting to official channels, such as the inspector's office, after experiencing unfair treatment remained low at just 0.8–3.3% depending on the type of incident. Of those who experienced dehumanizing treatment, 64.6% (755 people) said they "could not say anything." In a perception survey, trust in the 'anonymity' of reporting channels scored 3.99 points, the lowest among all items. Scores for 'fairness of punishment' (4.19 points) and 'accountability of supervisors who enabled the behavior' (4.22 points) were also low. The NFA analyzed that this avoidance of reporting results from a combination of low trust in hierarchical relationships and the system. The survey also found that mid-level employees and female staff reported relatively higher rates of experiencing injustice.

Based on these survey results, along with activities by a special inspection team and focused anonymous reports, the NFA plans to finalize a comprehensive organizational culture reform package by September. This will include a mutual respect code of conduct, expanded horizontal communication training, and guidelines for healthy social gatherings. Acting NFA Commissioner Choi Yong-chul stated, "It is important to make mutual respect and fairness the basic principles of our organizational culture and create an environment where members can voice their opinions without fear of disadvantage. We will use these survey results as a baseline for improvement and establish comprehensive measures by September."