Seoul Volunteer Center Launches 'Baro Volunteer Group' to Take Responsibility for Seoul's Disasters

700 Citizen Volunteers Recommended by 57 Organizations, Always Prepared for Emergencies

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] To effectively prepare for increasingly complex and diverse disasters, the Seoul Volunteer Center is forming a disaster response volunteer group called the ‘Baro Volunteer Group’ and will hold its launching ceremony on the 8th at the multipurpose hall of Seoul City Hall.

About 500 people, including the Mayor of Seoul, key guests, and volunteer members, will attend the launching ceremony to receive appointment certificates and declare their commitment to future activities. A talk show sharing various response cases from disaster sites will also be held.

The Baro Volunteer Group is composed of various organizations from different fields such as civic groups including Seoul YMCA, professional technical organizations like the National Boiler Installation Association and Seoul Oriental Medicine Association, as well as religious, volunteer, and safety groups such as Sarangshireun Transportation Volunteer Corps, Won-Buddhism Volunteer Service Association, Korea Organizing and Storage Association, and The Promise. They will carry out solidarity activities for disaster safety throughout Seoul.

The activity period is two years, from July this year to June 2024. The group consists of a wide range of age groups from their 20s to 70s and various professions including university students, oriental medicine doctors, technicians, local activists, lifeguards, housewives, and volunteer camp leaders.

Since May, the Seoul Volunteer Center has been operating a basic training course to strengthen the disaster response capabilities of the Baro Volunteer Group. The training covers essential knowledge for actual disaster sites, including disasters and volunteer activities, Psychological First Aid (PFA) and on-site communication, and step-by-step guidelines for disaster response activities.

Additionally, a disaster situation simulation workshop was conducted for volunteer group leaders to directly understand and discuss the difficulties disaster victims face and the areas where help is needed.

After the launching ceremony, the group plans to systematically prepare for seasonal disasters such as summer floods and typhoons, and conduct training based on real scenarios through advanced courses covering disaster-specific response methods, patient transport and first aid, protective suit wearing practice, and operation of volunteer base camps at disaster sites.

Kim Eui-wook, Director of the Seoul Volunteer Center, said, “We have wisely overcome the major disaster of COVID-19 and realized how important the role of volunteering is in disaster situations. Going forward, we will create a platform and actively support various cooperative network organizations such as volunteer camps and the Baro Disaster Response Volunteer Group to continuously operate diverse disaster prevention and response activities in local communities.”

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