The Story of Fire Suppression by Gimhae Taxi Driver Volunteer Firefighters and Passengers on the Way to School
At around 8 a.m. on the 7th, a fire broke out in the cargo bed of a truck on a road in Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, and a taxi driver and passenger are helping to extinguish it. [Image source=Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The taxi came to an abrupt stop, and in the hands of the driver in his 60s was a mini fire extinguisher instead of the steering wheel. The high school student who was in the car unbuckled their seatbelt and ran into a convenience store.
On their way to school, what they saw was a pile of cardboard boxes stacked in the bed of a truck, with red flames climbing over the load.
The Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters reported on the 8th that on the morning of the 7th at 8 a.m., on a road in Sambang-dong, Gimhae City, a fire broke out in the bed of a 1-ton truck, and one volunteer firefighter who was a taxi driver and three high school students extinguished the fire.
According to the Fire Headquarters, the truck was heavily loaded with cardboard boxes, putting the entire vehicle at risk, but thanks to their help, the initial fire suppression was successful.
At the time, the truck driver, who was driving from Busan to Gimhae, noticed the fire burning in the truck bed and stopped on the shoulder.
The driver and passenger tried to put out the flames by removing the burning boxes, but the fire quickly spread to other boxes, escalating into an uncontrollable situation.
At that moment, Jeong Seong-bae (male, 63), a volunteer firefighter from the Gimhae East Fire Station who was driving a taxi, witnessed the burning truck and immediately stopped his car.
After asking for understanding from the students who were passengers, Jeong ran to the truck and focused on extinguishing the fire using a vehicle fire extinguisher.
The students who were passengers?Kim Dong-hyun, Park Joon-sung, and Park Hyun-sung, second-year students at Gimhae Yeongun High School?also lent their strength.
When the flames did not easily go out, the students ran to a nearby store to get more fire extinguishers. They borrowed extinguishers from a GS25 convenience store. Since last year, GS25 convenience stores have been equipped with fire extinguishers under an agreement with the Fire Agency to be used in emergencies.
After using five fire extinguishers, the fire was put out.
Volunteer firefighter Jeong Seong-bae praised, “Thanks to the fire training I received from the volunteer fire brigade, I was able to use the extinguisher without panic and suppress the fire. The students who helped without hesitation played a big role.”
The Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters plans to commend the volunteer firefighter and students who helped extinguish the fire.
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