Field-washing decontamination of equipment is an effective way for firefighters to reduce their risk of secondary contamination. No study has yet clarified the factors influencing effective field decontamination of equipment such as self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs). This study sought to examine factors that influence the SCBA washing and decontamination behavior of firefighters. We conducted a questionnaire using the web-based Seoul Metropolitan Electronic Questionnaire System. As of May 2021, the survey had been sent to 3626 of 7198 Seoul career firefighters, and 1940 subjects were selected to participate in the study. Binomial logistic regression and χ2-test analyses were performed. We confirmed that previous training in SCBA washing was an important factor in effective field decontamination of SCBAs. Firefighters should be trained to perform field decontamination procedures systematically and regulations to perform field decontamination before leaving the scene of a fire should be introduced.

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The purpose of this study is to evaluate and suggest priorities for policy implementation to improve the management system and environment of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and charging rooms used by firefighters. The study included 15 experts and three interviews, and two modified Delphi surveys were conducted. Based on the results of previous research and expert interviews, the management system and environmental improvement plan for the SCBA and charging rooms were first derived. The improvement plan was presented in five areas, including resources, the SCBA and charging room management system, SCBA related work, SCBA charging room related work, and laws and regulations. The priority of policy implementation was derived by simultaneously analyzing the importance and practicality of the policy. Consequently, the first priority was to add contents to the manual for measures to prevent unwanted drinking of the Han River water and related symptoms for rescue workers during hardship rescue. The second priority was to specify the duty of decontamination in the disaster scene standard handling procedure and disaster scene return procedure stage. The next step was to investigate by conducting education on the risk of health effects of pollutants at disaster scenes. The results of this study can be utilized in the implementation of mid- to long-term fire policies for the systematic operation and establishment of a systematic management system for firefighters’ personal protective equipment, such as SCBA and charging rooms.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the educational effectiveness of a training course for electric vehicle accident response personnel. This study design is a cross-sectional study with a pre- and post-education survey. A total of 60 responses were analyzed before and after the training of 30 firefighters enrolled in the First Electric Vehicle Accident Response Capability course at the Seoul Metropolitan Fire Academy using the Seoul Metropolitan Fire Department's electronic survey system. All survey subjects were male, and there were 76.6% shift workers (23 respondents). Although electric vehicles are widely distributed, the inexperience rate at the accident scene was as high as 76%, and the respondents answered that the appropriate education method for electric vehicle accident response training was actual vehicle fire suppression training. In addition, it was possible to check the general status, characteristics, and cognitive changes of electric vehicles through the training course. This finding can be used in the future development of education and training courses for systematic and professional electric vehicle accident response personnel.

Nasopharyngeal tuberculosis can arise from both a primary infection and a secondary spread via the lymphatic or hematogenous system from a primary pulmonary lesion. Primary nasopharyngeal tuberculosis is rare and difficult to detect earlier because of the nonspecific presentations of the disease. As upper airway tuberculosis can be contagious, early initial diagnosis and suspicion of the physicians are needed in clinical practice. Recently, we successfully diagnosed and treated the disease by antitubercular medications of two cases of primary nasopharyngeal tuberculosis. Herein, we report our experience with a literature review.