Several fire chiefs in Seoul were caught using official vehicles for non-work-related activities, such as visiting golf courses during their off-duty hours. It was also revealed that firefighters were deployed to drive these official vehicles despite a severe manpower shortage at the scene.
According to the results of the Management Audit of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government Audit Committee on May 27, it was found that some fire chiefs in Seoul had been operating official vehicles without authorization for non-work-related purposes such as visiting golf courses. It was also confirmed that firefighters were deployed for such official vehicle operations. Twenty-five Fire and Disaster Headquarters in Seoul own and operate vehicles known as Car No. 1 for the fire chiefs to command disaster scenes. Special vehicles under the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s public vehicle management regulations cannot be used for private purposes without a valid reason.
A fire chief was caught visiting a golf course unrelated to his work after hours using Car No. 1. He also falsified the vehicle operation log by omitting such travel records.
According to the vehicle operation log, it was only recorded that he used the vehicle to visit fire-prone areas for two hours every morning from October 1 to October 3, a special guard duty period during last year’s Chuseok holiday. However, upon checking the vehicle’s black box, the Audit Committee found that the vehicle had been used at a golf range parking lot in Gyeonggi-do around 2:58 PM on October 2.
The fire chief submitted a statement claiming, “I only stopped by the golf practice range, where free parking was available, for 10 minutes on my way home to pick up something from an acquaintance. I did not use the golf range.” Regardless of whether the golf range was used or not, the Audit Committee pointed out that using Car No. 1 for personal purposes on his way home after work violates the public vehicle management regulations.
Another fire chief at a different location was also caught falsely recording that he had conducted wildfire prevention activities from 10 AM to 12 PM on March 11, 2023. He traveled to an out-of-town location that takes over seven hours round trip. This fire chief explained that he had attended another firefighter’s mother’s funeral. However, the Audit Committee judged that it is difficult to consider using Car No. 1 to attend a funeral on the weekend as a legitimate official duty.
It was also pointed out that it was problematic that the fire chief did not inform the organization about this matter when he left his jurisdiction. According to the Audit Committee, the fire chief did not report his out-of-town departure to the head of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, nor did he inform the Fire Chief and the Deputy Fire Chief, who is obligated to respond in the absence of the fire station chief.
The audit also revealed that frontline firefighters had been deployed to operate Car No. 1.
When the Audit Committee investigated the records of fire chiefs commuting to and from work using Car No. 1 more than ten times in the past five years, it found that 76% of the cases were driven by firefighters. Ninety percent of the firefighters who drove Car No. 1 were office workers, and the remaining 10% were field workers who had to respond to disaster scenes. The fire department is struggling to even maintain the basic two-person team operation due to a shortage of field members.
