Wonju City Holds Wildfire-Related Agencies Council and Resident Evacuation Tabletop Exercise... "Thorough Wildfire Preparedness"

Establishing a Preemptive Prevention and Initial Response System

Wonju City in Gangwon Province will hold the “2026 Wildfire-Related Agencies Council” on the 10th-floor main conference hall of City Hall on the 25th, in order to preemptively respond to large-scale wildfire disasters during this year’s spring wildfire prevention period (January 20 to May 15).

A view of Wonju City Hall. Provided by Wonju City.

In response to recent meteorological drought conditions and the trend of wildfires occurring year-round, the city plans to further strengthen the cooperative system among agencies and to enter an all-out response posture to protect citizens’ lives and property.

At the council meeting, a “Forest Disaster (Wildfire) Response Resident Evacuation Tabletop Exercise” will also be conducted, based on a hypothetical large-scale wildfire occurring in the area around Myeongbong Mountain. Each agency plans to cross-check its step-by-step evacuation responsibilities according to the wildfire spread prediction system, which is divided into the stages of Ready, Set (standby for execution), and Go (immediate execution).

In addition, Wonju City will review cooperation measures with welfare-related departments and local voluntary organizations to support the rapid evacuation of vulnerable groups. The city will also closely examine on-site response capabilities, including traffic control by the police and firebreak establishment by the fire department.

At the same time, the city plans to identify discrepancies between manuals and actual field conditions that may arise during real firefighting operations, and to actively incorporate the resulting practical improvement measures into Wonju City’s on-site action manuals in the future, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of disaster response.

Han Jongtae, head of the Forest Division, said, “In wildfire disasters, rapid initial response and close inter-agency cooperation are the key factors in minimizing damage,” adding, “We will make every effort to protect citizens’ safety and our valuable forest resources through a level of preparedness that is no different from an actual situation.”