Invisible Wounds of Firefighters: Focusing on Trauma Management at Disaster Sites

The National Fire Agency has announced that it will conduct emergency psychological counseling for over 3,300 firefighters and paramedics who were deployed to major disaster sites, including the Itaewon tragedy and the Muan Jeju Air passenger plane accident.

This initiative comes in response to the tragic case of a firefighter who was deployed to the Itaewon disaster site, suffered from depression, and was found dead ten days after going missing.

According to a recent exclusive report by Newsis on the 20th, an official from the National Fire Agency stated, “We conduct regular counseling once a year, but since there are many personnel still experiencing trauma, we plan to focus on providing additional psychological counseling specifically for those deployed to the disasters.”

The National Fire Agency operates a “visiting counseling service” every year, where professional psychological counselors visit fire departments nationwide to provide tailored psychological support.

Last year, it was reported that 102 counselors operated across the country, conducting a total of 79,453 counseling sessions.

However, in light of the firefighter from the Itaewon tragedy who eventually lost his life, the National Fire Agency has decided to offer special psychological support to firefighters who were deployed to major disaster scenes in addition to the regular counseling.

The additional counseling will target 1,316 firefighters deployed to the Itaewon disaster and 2,037 who responded to the Jeju Air passenger plane accident, totaling over 3,300 firefighters.

The National Fire Agency explained to Newsis, “Counseling will be approached cautiously after expert meetings. Through this counseling, personnel who need psychological stabilization and treatment will receive continuous support through in-depth counseling, participation in stress recovery programs, and hospital treatment.”

This measure is expected to protect the mental health of firefighters who save lives during disasters and to raise social awareness regarding the invisible traumas they experience.

Invisible Wounds of Firefighters at Disaster Sites

Meanwhile, on the 20th at around 12:30 PM, a firefighter identified as A, 30, was found dead beneath a bridge near the Gyeonggi Province area of the First Circular Highway. A had showed symptoms of depression after conducting rescue operations during the 2022 Itaewon disaster and is reported to have received psychological treatment a total of 12 times, including medical assistance provided by the National Fire Agency.

In a media interview prior to his death, he mentioned, "It was unbearable to place the deceased in black bags. My parents struggled just because I went to that site; I can only imagine what the parents of the victims felt. I thought, 'I wish this wasn’t real.'"

A went missing after leaving a note apologizing to his family and friends on the 10th. He was last seen around 2:30 AM that day, exiting the Nam-Incheon Tollgate, parking on the roadside, and discarding his mobile phone.

The location where A was found was approximately 8-9 kilometers away in a straight line from where he last was seen.

※ If you or someone around you are struggling with difficult thoughts such as depression, you can receive 24-hour counseling from professionals via the suicide prevention counseling phone ☎109 or through the SNS counseling Madlan (www.129.go.kr/109/etc/madlan).

Image Sources: Medical personnel, police, and firefighters are conducting cleanup operations at the site of a mass casualty incident in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in the early hours of October 30, 2022. / News1, Also, a firefighter and rescue dog search near the runway at the site of the passenger plane accident at Muan International Airport, Jeonnam, on January 15, 2025. / News1, Archival photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank