Blocking the Spread of Flames Using Agricultural Sprayers and Mist Blowers
Gaining Attention as a Disaster Response Model
It has been confirmed that, at the site of a large wildfire that recently broke out in Uiseong County, Gyeongbuk, farmers used agricultural equipment such as wide-area sprayers and power mist blowers to prevent the spread of the flames and minimize damage.
This is a case where farmers used agricultural equipment such as wide-area sprayers and power mist blowers to prevent the spread of flames at a large wildfire site that recently occurred in Uiseong County, Gyeongbuk.
This case is drawing attention as an example that demonstrates the multipurpose potential of agricultural machinery in the initial response to the wildfire in Uiseong County, Gyeongbuk.
On April 21, Uiseong County announced that, although the wildfire spread rapidly due to strong winds and dry weather, causing significant damage by completely destroying numerous orchards and agricultural infrastructure, even greater losses were averted thanks to the calm response of some farming households.
In particular, in the areas of Jeomgok-myeon and Oksan-myeon, farmers responded quickly by using sprayers and mist blowers to spray water near agricultural machinery storage facilities and livestock barns, or by directly blocking the flames.
The county evaluated that such responses had a tangible effect in actually stopping the spread of the fire.
In fact, a farmer living in Jeomgok-myeon, referred to as Mr. A, explained, "When the flames crossed the paddy ridge and threatened to reach the storage, I decided to use the sprayer to at least protect the tractor and rice transplanter inside. Fortunately, I was able to stop the fire and save all the expensive agricultural machinery."
A county official stated, "On-site inspections confirmed numerous cases where agricultural equipment such as high-speed sprayers (SS machines) and power mist blowers were effectively used to prevent the spread of the fire. In an emergency where there was a shortage of professional firefighting equipment, agricultural machinery served as an alternative, which is a very meaningful case."
The county plans to incorporate these cases into its wildfire response manual and to organize strategies for using agricultural equipment in disaster response, which will be actively utilized as training materials in the future. In addition, the county will expand education on the safe operation of high-pressure spraying equipment such as sprayers and on their use in fire response.
Kim Jusu, the governor of Uiseong County, stated, "Our farmers' field-oriented and agile response is a valuable example of protecting essential livelihood assets. Based on this experience, we will strengthen disaster response systems that enable immediate action and do our utmost to provide education on related equipment and to establish preventive measures."
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