Uljin-gun Holds Launch Ceremony for Specialized Wildfire Prevention and Suppression Team and Wildfire Watchers

On the 18th, Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk held a launch ceremony for wildfire prevention and control from the fall of 2024 to the spring of 2025 at Wangpicheon Park Cultural Center.

Uljin County held a launch ceremony for the specialized wildfire prevention and suppression team and wildfire monitors. Photo by Uljin County

More than 200 participants, including wildfire prevention and firefighting specialists and wildfire watchers, established wildfire prevention and firefighting response measures during the wildfire caution period (11.1.24 to 5.15.25).

At this launch ceremony, the wildfire prevention and firefighting specialists and wildfire watchers were appointed, and through the reading of a pledge for wildfire prevention, they reaffirmed their commitment to preventing wildfires and minimizing wildfire damage. They were assigned responsibilities and duties for wildfire prevention and firefighting activities. To raise awareness of the increasing industrial accidents recently, a safety accident prevention pledge was also made to improve workers' safety awareness.

The Uljin-gun wildfire prevention and firefighting specialists consist of 53 members in 3 teams who are deployed immediately upon wildfire occurrence and conduct firefighting activities until the wildfire is extinguished. The 145 wildfire watchers patrol vulnerable wildfire areas and crack down on illegal burning activities in their respective towns and townships to carry out wildfire prevention activities.

Additionally, wildfire watchers will continuously visit and manage households using wood boilers, conduct guidance activities, and also assist with reprocessing for elderly households.

Uljin-gun will strictly crack down on unauthorized entry into restricted mountain areas and the burning of agricultural residues and waste near forest areas. When violations are detected, they will impose no-tolerance fines according to the Forest Protection Act and further raise awareness of wildfire prevention activities by utilizing the wildfire offender reporting and reward system.

County Governor Son Byeong-bok urged, “Our county has already experienced a major wildfire once and has received much help from the public. We are still working on damage restoration, so no more wildfires should occur.” He emphasized, “We all need to maintain vigilance against wildfires and think of all residents as key participants in wildfire monitoring, doing our best to prevent wildfires.”