The purpose of this study is to investigate the process of establishing the 911 firefighter code of ethics and the differences between leaders and followers in the process of internalizing the code of ethics. The code of ethics was initiated by the tragic sinking of the ferry called Sewol in 2014 to create an ethical climate of firefighting organizations. Because the coast guard’s passive response to the disaster provoked national outrage, the code of ethics defined the provision of active service to the people as a core value. The firefighter code of ethics was established to reinforce behavioral ethics and to secure the social justification of firefighting organizations. While leaders conformed to the demand for organizational awareness of the code of ethics, followers accepted it. Based on their past experience, leaders conformed to the organizational ethics code without any conscious process, but followers complied with it through cognitive processes such as familiarity and recognition of the norm. This indicates that to create an ethical climate through a code of ethics, it is necessary to understand the differences between conformity and compliance among the members.