Helicopters put out a forest fire during a joint fire fighting drill on Oct. 14 in Pyeongchang.
A joint wildfire extinguishment drill took place on Oct. 14 as part of the sixth International Wildland Fire Conference, currently underway in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province.
Assuming a worst-case scenario with a disastrous large-scale wildfire, the drill mobilized a total of 15 aircrafts, including 13 helicopters owned by the Korea Forest Service, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security, the Ministry of National Defense and the Korean National Police Agency.
The drill also involved Korea’s forest fire “pumping and suppression” team in order to implement a multi-dimensional wildfire extinguishment drill that included both ground and air forces.
The highlight of the drill was when the firefighters poured water from the helicopters onto the point of ignition. Drill participants watched as eight helicopters put out a forest fire on the mountainside. About 300 people engaged in the extinguishment on the ground.
Crowds watch a forest fire joint fire fighting drill.
During this drill, Korea showcased its IT-based fire fighting strategies, such as its Forest Geographic Information System (FGIS) and its equipment for reporting fire locations in the mountains. The FGIS includes all the hardware and software, and related data, as well as the human resources, that manage, analyze and use information about all forest fire locations and collect data about all the forests.
Minister Shin Won-Sop, head of the Korea Forest Service, said, “Through this drill, Korea showed its forest fire extinguishment knowhow to representatives in charge of managing wildfire affairs from all around the globe.” He also emphasized the importance of securing effective, comprehensive management systems and state-owned helicopters in case of disastrous forest fires.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korea Forest Service
arete@korea.kr
A fire fighter repels from a helicopter during a fire fighting demonstration.
A helicopter drops water onto the fire’s point of ignition.
