Joint Training by 119 Rescue Dog Unit and Korea Human Rescue Dog Association
Reflecting Regional Characteristics... Preparing for Missing Person Incidents in Gotjawal
The Fire Safety Headquarters conducted a joint missing person search training on the 9th and 10th in the Cheongsuri Gotjawal area, involving two 119 rescue dogs and 23 rescue dogs from the Korea Rescue Dog Association. Provided by Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters
The Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Fire Safety Headquarters (Chief: Joo Youngguk) is intensifying efforts to enhance the search capabilities of its 119 rescue dogs to swiftly save lives at disaster sites.
On the 9th and 10th, the Fire Safety Headquarters conducted a joint missing person search training in the Cheongsuri Gotjawal area, involving two 119 rescue dogs and 23 rescue dogs affiliated with the Korea Human Rescue Dog Association (President: Yoo Byungjoo).
This training was planned based on the analysis of mountain missing person accidents in 2024. According to the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, 67 out of 115 mountain missing person accidents (58%) that occurred in 2024 took place in the Gotjawal area.
In consideration of the geographical characteristics of Gotjawal, where accidents frequently occur, this training was organized to establish efficient search operations using 119 rescue dogs in advance.
Gotjawal is a rugged terrain formed by highly viscous lava breaking into large and small rocks due to volcanic eruptions, creating a primeval forest where trees and vines intertwine. It is a unique geographical feature of Jeju, distributed across four major regions: Hangyeong~Andeok, Aewol, Jocheon~Hamdeok, and Gujwa~Seongsan.
This training focused on strengthening the precise search capabilities of 119 rescue dogs in Gotjawal, where dense vegetation and rough terrain make it difficult for rescuers to access.
119 rescue dogs have olfactory senses at least 10,000 times and auditory senses more than 50 times superior to humans, compensating for the limitations of human search efforts and playing a key role in locating missing persons and discovering bodies. They have made significant contributions to saving lives in various situations such as natural disasters, accidents, and missing person cases.
Jeju Fire Headquarters plans to further solidify its search and rescue functions using 119 rescue dogs based on this training. In particular, they aim to deploy rescue dogs early in mountain missing person cases to secure the golden time for searches, and, if necessary, mobilize additional civilian rescue dogs to establish a rapid and systematic joint response system.
Meanwhile, over the past year, 119 rescue dogs were deployed to a total of 115 missing person search sites and successfully rescued eight missing persons within the golden time.
Joo Youngguk, Chief of the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters, stated, "As missing person accidents frequently occur due to Jeju's unique geography, we will continue to strengthen training to further improve the practical response capabilities of 119 rescue dogs in the Gotjawal area."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
