[Reporter’s Notebook] Wildfires Turned Monstrous... What If Firefighting Aircraft Had Been Available

The Need for Fixed-Wing Aircraft Emerges
Repeated Halts in Introduction Discussions
A Fundamental Review of Crisis Response Methods

Wildfires are leaving devastating traces. Casualties have surged, especially in the Yeongnam region. The situation has worsened due to significantly lower than average rainfall combined with strong winds.

Since the early stages of this crisis, a lingering question has remained in my mind: why are firefighting aircraft not being used to effectively extinguish wildfires from the air? This issue dates back two years.

The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee realized the limitations of wildfire response relying on firefighting helicopters in relation to the Gangneung wildfire that occurred in April 2023. Firefighting helicopters cannot operate during strong winds or in the dark of night. The amount of water a helicopter can carry is also limited compared to airplanes.

Oh Young-hwan, a former Democratic Party lawmaker and firefighter, said, "The backward response of relying solely on firefighting personnel at night must change now. Fixed-wing aircraft should be considered."

In the United States, firefighting aircraft capable of supplying 2,000 gallons (7,580 liters), 4,000 gallons (15,141 liters), and even 8,000 gallons (30,283 liters) of water are available. The U.S. equips military aircraft with Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) to respond to wildfires. This is why military transport planes have been able to appear during large wildfires in the western U.S. and drop water bombs like aerial bombardments.

There were discussions about introducing similar systems in Korea, but they were ultimately halted. The Korea Forest Service planned to attach water tanks to military transport planes and allocated related budgets. However, the project stalled due to a lack of prior consultation with the military.

Although there are criticisms about high costs and difficult maintenance, the perspective on the ground is completely different. At the early stage of the crisis, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, who was concerned about wildfire damage, demanded from the central government, "Even now, large transport planes must be deployed."

This was an expression of desperate hope that large transport planes would drop water bombs from the sky to quickly extinguish the flames. If the effectiveness of firefighting aircraft is proven, we too must boldly consider their introduction.

Two years ago, former lawmaker Oh posed the question to our society, "Is it really okay to continue like this?" Only now, after witnessing the devastating wildfire damage, are we answering, "No, it is not okay." The government must find clear answers on how to protect the people from disasters such as wildfires, as well as concentrated heavy rains and super typhoons caused by the climate crisis.