Kim Yongcheol, Honam University Professor, Receives Fire Agency Chief's Commendation for Promoting Fire Safety Education

Discovering and Implementing Various Fire Safety Education and Training Programs

Yongcheol Kim, Professor at Honam University.

Honam University announced on the 13th that Professor Kim Yongcheol of the Department of Fire Administration received a commendation from the Commissioner of the National Fire Agency for his contribution to raising safety awareness and spreading fire safety culture through the promotion of '2024 Fire Safety Education Work'.

Professor Kim, together with the university's Fire Administration Department Student Volunteer Fire Brigade (led by Kang Ungil), began wildfire safety enlightenment and education activities with the Mudeungsan Wildfire Safety Campaign in 2020. He continued with fire safety education for spectators at Gwangju FC home games in 2022 and regular blood donation activities with the Gwangju and Jeonnam Blood Center.

Since last year, he has also conducted on-site fire safety education for elementary and middle school students, organized by the Gwangju Fire Safety Headquarters and Gwangsan Fire Station. These programs included CPR training, fire extinguisher usage, fire and disaster drone simulator experiences, and personal firefighting equipment training, all of which contributed to improving citizens' initial response abilities in the event of fires, disasters, or emergencies.

He was also highly praised for establishing a mutual cooperation system for nurturing the next generation of local firefighting talent by launching the Gwangju-Jeonnam Fire Development Council, bringing together local universities, the Gwangju Fire Safety Headquarters, and the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters amid a decline in the school-age population.

Professor Kim stated, "In order to realize a safer Gwangju, it is crucial to improve citizens' prevention and preparedness capabilities through fire safety education and training based on a thorough understanding of fire and disaster management." He added, "The spread and establishment of a local fire safety culture requires not just individual effort, but the interest and participation of the entire community. Moving forward, I will actively pursue the development and implementation of a wider variety of fire safety education and training programs to help create a safer local community."