미군정기 자치적 소방제도의 도입과 역할

Abstract

When korea was liberated in 1945, military rule by the U.S. military was implemented until 1948. The implementation of the U.S. military government served as a transitional stepping stone to the new Republic of Korea from Japanese colonial era. Thus, the fire-fighting system established during this period has also become connection to the next period. Along with the independence from Japanese colonialization, fire outbreaks sharply increased in the large cities including Seoul and Busan. As the U.S. Military Government considered that the existing fire-fighting system was outdated and inefficient to deal with frequent fire outbreaks, it started a full-fledged reform of the existing fire-fighting system. In the process of reorganizing government organization, fire-fighting service was transferred to the department of civil engineering. Local fire-fighting committees were organized under province governors. Also fire-fighting offices as executive bodies were established nationwide. About 50 extra fire-fighting services were established nationwide although there were only 8 during the Japanese Colonialization Period. As the U.S. Military Government intended to graft American-style self-governing fire-fighting system into Korean system, fire-fighting organizations were established and fire-fighting services were enlarged eve to small districts. As most of the Japanese influential men who had been officials of fire-fighting services returned home after the 1945 Liberation, the leadership of fire-fighting services was vacant. Therefore, ex-police officials or common people who was related with the United States Military Government were appointed as new fire-fighting officers and executives. For those who did not have sense of duty conformed to reduction of fire-fighting organizations. Despite of those problems, introduction of fire-fighting committees, establishment of fire-fighting offices and enlargement of fire-fighting stations during the U.S. Military Government were developmental efforts of the civil engineering department that was in charge of fire-fighting service. Introduction of the self-governing and autonomous system became a basis for the present establishment of fire-fighting offices and self-governing fire-fighting system.