A Small Spark Can Become a Big Fire... Gimhae Wildfire Prevention Headquarters Focuses on Fire Prevention Until May Next Year

Designation of Wildfire Prevention Period and Full-Scale Operation of Countermeasures Headquarters

Hong Tae-yong, mayor of Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, visits the wildfire prevention headquarters to encourage wildfire prevention activities.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, has designated the period from this month until May 15 of next year as the wildfire prevention period and is operating a wildfire prevention headquarters.

Mayor Hong Taeyong visited the wildfire prevention headquarters located at the Gimhae Agricultural Technology Center to encourage the staff.

Mayor Hong said, "Thank you for your efforts to protect the safety of citizens from fires," and urged, "Please do your best in wildfire prevention activities."

During this period, the city will hang 2,000 wildfire prevention banners along major roadsides and hiking trails.

Each village will conduct promotional activities using the disaster early warning system and vehicle amplifiers.

Major forest roads and hiking trails will be closed to preemptively block human-caused wildfire risk factors such as cigarette butts from people entering the mountains.

Eleven wildfire observation posts and twelve unmanned wildfire surveillance cameras will be installed and operated at major mountain summits, and 140 wildfire monitors from towns and townships will be dispatched to adjacent forest areas for patrols.

The wildfire monitors will strengthen surveillance activities and prevent burning acts such as trash burning in areas close to the mountains.

Sixty members of the specialized wildfire prevention and suppression team will receive regular specialized wildfire education and suppression training to enhance firefighting capabilities, and an initial response system has been established, including standby wildfire suppression helicopters.

A headquarters official said, "The dry autumn climate continues, so the risk of wildfire occurrence is very high," and added, "Please refrain entirely from burning activities at temples, houses, and farmland adjacent to the mountains, and factories should also be careful in handling fire sources."