Seoul Gangseo-gu, Full Effort to Prevent Spring Wildfires

Operation of Wildfire Prevention Headquarters until May 15... Up to 3 Million KRW Reward for Reporting Wildfire Perpetrators

Strengthening Wildfire Prevention Activities through Joint Training and Campaigns with Related Agencies

District Mayor Kim Tae-woo: “We will protect residents' precious lives and property through thorough prevention activities”

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Kim Tae-woo) announced that it has designated the period until May 15 as the ‘Spring Wildfire Caution Period’ and has launched an all-out response to prevent wildfires.

Ahead of the spring season, when the risk of wildfires is high due to dry weather and increased hikers, the district established the ‘Wildfire Prevention Headquarters’ and has begun full-scale operations.

The Wildfire Prevention Headquarters, composed of 32 members, has organized 15 emergency duty teams and maintains a constant emergency duty system on weekdays, weekends, and holidays.

The main tasks include ▲ joint wildfire suppression training and campaigns for wildfire prevention ▲ wildfire monitoring activities and inspection of firefighting equipment ▲ maintaining cooperation systems with related agencies ▲ establishing a firefighting system including initial suppression and backfire monitoring in case of wildfire occurrence ▲ and rapid reporting of firefighting situations.

In the event of a wildfire, 32 ground firefighting personnel and 85 auxiliary firefighters will be urgently deployed for initial suppression.

Specialized wildfire prevention and suppression teams are stationed in approximately 420 hectares of forest and forest-adjacent areas within Gangseo-gu, including Bongje Mountain and Gaehwa Mountain, conducting regular patrols to intensively crack down on violations such as burning and possession of flammable materials.

Additionally, 31 wildfire firefighting equipment storage boxes have been installed at major hiking trail entrances and ridges to enable anyone to quickly perform initial suppression in case of wildfire, and three CCTV-type black boxes have been installed in wildfire-prone areas for real-time monitoring.

In March, joint firefighting drills with related agencies such as Gangseo Fire Station, 119 Safety Center, and Volunteer Fire Brigade will be conducted focusing on nearby mountains like Gaehwa Mountain and Ujang Mountain, along with wildfire prevention promotional campaigns.

The district will also actively promote the reward system that offers up to 3 million KRW to informants who help capture wildfire perpetrators and the penalty regulations for violations.

Kim Tae-woo, Mayor of Gangseo-gu, said, “With the expected increase in wildfire risk due to more outdoor activities in spring, we will protect residents' precious lives and property through thorough prevention activities. Preventing wildfires requires residents' participation above all, so please refrain from carrying flammable materials when going to the mountains and actively cooperate in wildfire prevention.”

Seocho Safety Avengers ‘Public-Private Emergency Recovery Team’ Protects Neighborhood Safety

‘Seocho Public-Private Emergency Recovery Team’ Played a Vital Role in Rapid Recovery during Last August’s Heavy Rain; Enhancing Expertise and Expanding Roles This Year

Supporting Not Only Disaster Recovery but Also Neighborly Sharing and Care for Local Residents

Seocho-gu (District Mayor Jeon Seong-su) is strengthening the practical skills and expertise of the ‘Seocho Public-Private Emergency Recovery Team,’ which played a vital role in rapid recovery from flood damage caused by heavy rain last August.

Furthermore, the team’s role will be expanded beyond disaster prevention to include safety accident prevention in daily life and neighborly care volunteer activities.

To this end, the district has prepared systematic support measures such as practical training to enhance the capabilities of the ‘Seocho Public-Private Emergency Recovery Team’ (hereafter ‘Emergency Recovery Team’).

The ‘Emergency Recovery Team’ was formed last August with about 1,400 residents, including neighborhood leaders, resident autonomy committees, Saemaul Women’s Associations, and neighborhood watch groups, to complement the limitations of the district’s administrative power in flood recovery by utilizing those who know every corner of the neighborhood well.

Composed of about 70 members per neighborhood on average, they actively worked simultaneously across the district during last year’s heavy rain. They played a vital role for flood-affected neighbors by removing mud and debris, operating pumps, removing rainwater, and moving furniture and appliances. Even after recovery, they continue active prevention activities in each neighborhood, such as leaf and drainage cleaning in disaster-prone areas. They also plan to continue activities for safety inspections during the thaw period in March.

From February 27 to March, the district is conducting four sessions of capability enhancement training for the ‘Seocho Public-Private Emergency Recovery Team’ under the theme ‘Safety and Prevention Are the Top Priorities for Disasters, Accidents, Neighbors, and Communities.’

This training, lasting about two hours, includes common theoretical lessons and optional practical training on disaster response procedures and the role of the ‘Emergency Recovery Team’ as volunteers. It targets 180 members, mainly team leaders from each neighborhood, who will then provide training to other team members.

The common theoretical lessons are conducted by the Seocho Volunteer Center and cover ‘Disaster and Accident Prevention Activities’ and ‘Roles of the Emergency Recovery Team as Volunteers.’ Following this, optional practical training includes emergency first aid such as CPR by paramedics and experience sessions on earthquakes, typhoons, fires, and traffic accidents led by firefighters to enhance the team’s practical skills.

The first session was held on the 27th at the district office auditorium, followed by the second (March 15, district office auditorium), third (March 20, Seocho 4-dong Community Center auditorium), and fourth (March 28, Boramae Safety Experience Center) sessions.

Inhye-sook (60s), a member of the Bangbae 2-dong Emergency Recovery Team who participated in the training on the 27th, said, “I learned what role I can play in my neighborhood, and it was beneficial to actually learn CPR. I felt proud as a local volunteer. If there is difficulty in the community, I want to actively help using what I learned in the training.”

After training, the ‘Emergency Recovery Team’ performs various activities to protect neighborhood safety. During normal times, they conduct environmental maintenance in vulnerable areas, patrols, and care for vulnerable groups to prevent safety accidents. In case of disasters, they are divided into four teams (Situation Management Team, Recruitment and Deployment Team, Environmental Maintenance Team, Facility Maintenance Team) to carry out rapid recovery work. The Facility Maintenance Team especially handles electrical work, wallpapering, and other specialized repairs.

The district has also prepared various support measures to facilitate the smooth activities of the ‘Emergency Recovery Team.’ They provide meal and transportation expenses, supplies, and enroll members in volunteer accident insurance. Additionally, an organic network between neighborhood community centers and the Emergency Recovery Team is established for situation dissemination during disasters, and reflective safety vests are provided to enhance pride and safety.

Jeon Seong-su, Mayor of Seocho-gu, said, “I appreciate the mature local autonomy shown by the ‘Seocho Public-Private Emergency Recovery Team,’ which takes care of their own neighborhoods and neighbors. We will continue to work hard to establish various safety accident prevention measures with the community so that residents can enjoy a safe and comfortable daily life.”

Dongdaemun-gu Drastically Revises Outdoor Event Safety Management Ordinance

Preventing Large-Scale Social Disasters Like the Itaewon Tragedy in Advance

Key Contents Include Establishing Safety Management Plans and Review Provisions for Events Without Organizers

Dongdaemun-gu (District Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) announced that it is promoting the revision of the 『Seoul Metropolitan City Dongdaemun-gu Outdoor Event Safety Management Ordinance』 to prevent large-scale social disasters like the Itaewon tragedy in advance and to protect the lives and property of residents from disasters.

The main contents of the ordinance revision include ▲ establishing safety management plans and review provisions for events without organizers or sponsors ▲ clear role definitions between the event organizing department and the department overseeing disaster management.

Additionally, the ordinance introduces provisions requiring the district mayor to have all event-related persons, including participants, spectators, and staff, subscribe to event insurance, and recommends that event organizers secure at least 1% of the event cost as safety management expenses.

The district completed the legislative notice by March 2 and plans to submit the ordinance revision to the 319th Dongdaemun-gu Council extraordinary session starting March 23, with a scheduled promulgation in April.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Through this ordinance revision, we will strengthen safety management for outdoor events without organizers or sponsors, which were previously in a legal blind spot, and strive to protect residents' lives and property from disasters, realizing a safer, more pleasant, and transparent Dongdaemun.”