[On Site, This Person] Park Taejin, Gwangju Buk-gu Official, Prevents Wildfires with Drones

Beyond Wildfire Prevention: Disaster Surveillance with Drones and AI
Real-Time Monitoring with Smart Villages and Drone Stations
"Wildfires Are Increasing Due to Climate Change... Early Detection Is Key"

Taejin Park, Officer, Drone Operation Team, Small and Medium Business Support Division, Bukgu, Gwangju City. Photo by Bohyun Song

"When I was a child, my dream was to become an airplane pilot, and in college, flying radio-controlled airplanes was my greatest joy."

On the 10th, at the Drone Park in Buk-gu, Gwangju, Park Taejin (52), an officer in the SME Support Division's Drone Operations Team, explained how he first encountered drones. Since 2020, he has been in charge of wildfire prevention using drones. In 2015, a video of a drone filming a lava eruption on the internet sparked his interest. Park said, "Thanks to my experience with radio-controlled airplanes, I was able to quickly master drones."

The most memorable moment was the wildfire in Saengyong-dong last June. Using a drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera, he detected the location of residual fires and relayed the coordinates to ground personnel. The drone had to repeatedly take off and land without rest, so he was forced to pause operations due to battery shortages. He said the number of flights over those three days exceeded what he usually did in a month. He added that if it hadn't been for the drone, the fire could have escalated into a major wildfire.

A thermal imaging camera is a device that visualizes temperature differences to detect smoke or embers. The thermal camera mounted on the drone identifies the temperature difference between trees and embers, allowing it to find even invisible residual fires.

During last year's Saengyongdong fire, a firefighter is inspecting the wildfire site filmed by a drone through the monitor of the drone ground control vehicle. Provided by Gwangju Bukgu Office

A drone locates a backfire that is difficult for ground personnel to find and transmits the location information, which the ground personnel then handle. Provided by Gwangju Bukgu Office

The biggest challenge in building a drone-ICT-based wildfire management platform was installing wildfire monitoring CCTV. Park said, "It was not easy to select tower locations that could cover the entire Buk-gu area." He explained that when installing cameras, solar power facilities, and wireless communication equipment, team members took turns staying on-site as safety managers. He added that the work was especially difficult in winter, as many towers were located in areas without hiking trails.

Park said that using Korea Electric Power Corporation's towers for wildfire monitoring was a complicated and difficult task, and laughed, "Whenever I see a tall tower, I think, 'It would be great to install a camera up there.'"

Regarding the role of drones, Park said, "I want to expand their use beyond wildfires to disaster rescue and environmental monitoring." Referring to the wildfires in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk and Samcheok-si, Gangwon in 2022, and Hongseong-gun, Chungnam in 2023, he pointed out, "Wildfires are increasing. It's due to climate change and human carelessness." He emphasized that combining drones and AI is essential for wildfire prevention.

In response to this need, through the 2024 Smart Village Project, four drone stations, an AI wildfire automatic detection program, and nine CCTV locations were introduced. The drone stations are responsible for automatic charging and dispatch of drones, enabling autonomous takeoff and landing for continuous monitoring.

Aerial view of Drone Park in Buk-gu, Gwangju.

Park said, "Through cooperation between the public and private sectors, including Korea Electric Power Corporation and Technopark, we are now able to monitor a wide area with a small budget." Regarding why he started wildfire monitoring with drones, he explained, "Even though we are not a department dedicated to wildfires, I knew how effective drones could be. That's why I prepared for the public contest project."

Regarding the real-time monitoring system, Park said, "We plan to establish nine CCTV locations, two drone stations, and four drones in March. The goal is to prevent wildfires and detect them early." He added, "I want to expand their use not only to wildfires but also to disaster rescue and environmental monitoring. The goal is to enhance the quality of public services with AI." He also mentioned that new projects such as public property surveys, cultural heritage protection, and village map creation are underway.

A drone soared straight up above Gwangju Buk-gu Drone Park. Park Taejin's gaze followed it for a long time.