700 Emergency Fire Extinguishing Devices Installed in Villages of Donghae, Sokcho, and Goseong, Gangwon

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 3rd that it plans to complete the installation of emergency fire extinguishing devices by December this year in the forests of six cities and counties along the East Coast to enable initial response in case of fire.

This project will invest a total of 7 billion KRW to install 700 emergency fire extinguishing devices in villages adjacent to the forests of Gangneung, Donghae, Sokcho, Samcheok, Goseong, and Yangyang.

The emergency fire extinguishing device is an integrated fire extinguishing facility consisting of a fire extinguisher box with a hose reel, nozzle, and outdoor fire hydrant. It is installed not only in forest areas but also in places where fire trucks have difficulty accessing, such as traditional markets.

In the East Coast region, when a forest fire occurs, the strong winds cause rapid spread, increasing the risk of the fire expanding significantly before fire trucks arrive. Therefore, fire extinguishing devices that residents can use are necessary. When a large forest fire occurred on the East Coast in April last year, residents in Hongwasol Village, Goseong, were able to reduce damage by extinguishing the fire with emergency fire extinguishing devices they had installed themselves.

Once the emergency fire extinguishing devices are installed, nearby residents and village chiefs will be designated as managers, and the fire station will regularly conduct education and training so that any resident can easily use the devices.

The National Fire Agency will also strengthen prevention activities during the forest fire caution period until the 15th of next month. When strong wind and dry weather warnings are issued, patrol activities will be increased, and volunteer firefighters and local government forest fire monitors will jointly inspect fire prevention and evacuation systems for houses adjacent to forests and provide education on action guidelines.

Choi Byung-il, Director of Fire Policy Bureau at the National Fire Agency, urged, "As dry weather continues without rain recently, we ask not only residents but also hikers to be especially careful about forest fires."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.