Seongnam City operates a helicopter golden time system to arrive at wildfire sites within 30 minutes of occurrence. A helicopter is spraying water on the wildfire area to carry out firefighting operations. Photo by Seongnam City
[Asia Economy (Seongnam) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province is operating the 'Golden Time System for Wildfire Extinguishing Helicopters' with the goal of arriving at the scene within 30 minutes of detecting a wildfire.
Seongnam City announced that from the 1st of this month until May 15th, during the spring wildfire caution period, the city's Greenery Division at City Hall will operate as the Wildfire Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters, and four related departments from the city and districts will operate as the situation room.
During this period, the city will maintain an emergency duty system not only on weekdays but also on weekends and holidays, and will strengthen wildfire surveillance activities by deploying drones.
First, a forestry-dedicated public official holding a drone class 1 license will fly a wildfire monitoring drone to observe forest resources covering 7,101 hectares, which corresponds to 50% of the total area of Seongnam.
At major hiking trails such as Cheonggyesan, Bulgoksan, and Geomdansan, as well as around Yuldong Pavilion and Yeongjang Park, 113 wildfire monitoring personnel have been dispersed and deployed.
When a fire spark is detected in the forest, a helicopter carrying 450 liters of extinguishing water will be dispatched to the scene for initial firefighting.
In cases where additional firefighting helicopters are needed due to large wildfires, rapid response will be coordinated with related organizations such as nearby local governments including Gwangju and Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and the Korea Forest Service.
A cooperative support system involving five nearby military units and 530 firefighting personnel has also been established.
Additionally, 3,555 pieces of wildfire extinguishing equipment, including 31 types such as fire rakes and backpack pumps, have been mobilized.
Meanwhile, burning waste in field ridges within 100 meters of forest-adjacent areas requires permission from each district office. If caught lighting fires without permission, a fine of up to 300,000 KRW will be imposed; carrying lighters or other fire sources into the forest or smoking inside the forest will result in fines ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 KRW. Furthermore, if a fire is caused by negligence and damages the forest, the offender may face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.
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