KOR
▲ The late Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty
At the funeral hall of Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital in Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of October 17.
Tears continually echoed through the mortuary of the late Fire Inspector Kim Jin-seok, who died in the line of duty during a fire at a metal injection printing factory in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, which occurred yesterday.
The funeral hall became a sea of tears over the sudden death of the breadwinner, who leaves behind a young daughter scheduled to enter elementary school next year.
It was reported that Fire Inspector Kim and his wife, a daycare assistant teacher, had planned to move into a new home in an apartment in Gyeonggi Province in just two weeks, adding to the heartbreak.
According to the bereaved family, Fire Inspector Kim, an 11-year veteran firefighter, was about to finish his 24-hour shift and head off-duty at 9:00 AM yesterday.
However, upon hearing news of the fire at 8:38 AM, Fire Inspector Kim boarded the fire engine without hesitation.
It was just about 20 minutes before his off-duty time.
Fire Inspector Kim and three others, who arrived as the first response team, immediately entered the 3rd floor of the building to begin suppression efforts, but as flames rapidly spread, two people including him were trapped inside.
The colleague who entered with him was barely rescued, but Fire Inspector Kim was found about 27 minutes later in a spot roughly 5 meters deeper inside.
He was already in a state of cardiac arrest.
The sister-in-law of Fire Inspector Kim burst into tears, saying, "I was told that his gas mask had come off when he was found, and when I asked the fire department, they said, 'It has a triple-locking device so it normally wouldn't come off, but it seems to have melted from the heat.' He had to inhale toxic fumes entirely during the delayed rescue."
When he arrived at the hospital, his condition was too devastating to look at.
With medical staff giving opinions that even if his breathing miraculously returned, he would likely remain in a vegetative state, the family had no choice but to prepare their hearts in advance.
The bereaved family strongly criticized the on-site command and rescue system, asking, "Would you have pushed your own child into that inferno?"
He said, "Factory workers had already evacuated outside and there was no need for additional human rescue, yet I don't understand why they sent a firefighter on the verge of finishing work into the jaws of death without even a minimum assessment of the situation."
He raised his voice, stating, "If the situation was dangerous, they should have had him withdraw immediately or deployed additional personnel. Ultimately, this is a disaster brought about by the command's misjudgment and the lack of an on-site control system."
He appealed, saying, "The state always emphasizes the golden time, but my son-in-law missed the golden time due to a delayed rescue. The safety system must be overhauled so that such vain sacrifices are not repeated."
Earlier, at around 8:38 AM yesterday, a fire broke out at a metal injection printing factory in Nae-dong, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon, and was extinguished 2 hours and 28 minutes later.
The fire resulted in the death of Fire Inspector Kim and serious injuries to another firefighter in his 40s.
Additionally, a total of eight people suffered light to serious injuries, including four other firefighters receiving medical treatment for heat exhaustion symptoms and two factory officials for smoke inhalation.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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