Upgrading firefighters’ life satisfaction can enhance their job skills,
and contribute to their safety and that of the public. This study’s purpose was
to identify general life satisfaction levels and national characteristics, including
firefighters’ occupational issues in Korea and the US. The final sample sizes in this cross-sectional study were 1,523 for South Korea and 229 for the US. The findings were based on
firefighters’ physical/mental health and satisfaction with occupational
problems. To measure their life satisfaction, six dimensions were examined:
social, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and occupational. The
average satisfaction score of firefighters was 3.50 in Korea and 4.00 in the
US. The US showed high satisfaction in most subitems. However, US firefighters
showed low satisfaction in the physical context and Korean firefighters in the occupational
context. Multiple regression analysis of the variables affecting firefighters’ life
satisfaction showed that the occupational dimension was significant in both
Korea and the US, and a similar analysis of demographic characteristics as
independent variables showed that differences in satisfaction by gender were important
in both countries. For Korea, the key variables were in the working hours section;
for the US, in the specialty section. The results of this study should make it
easier to identify and focus on the relevant areas of firefighters’ working
lives in Korea and the US, thereby improving their life satisfaction.