Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters Donates 'Wanyong Pump' Used for Firefighting in the 1970s

The Wan-yong pump donated by the Goyang Gwansan Regional Unit to the National Fire Museum on the 8th

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters donated a fire 'Wanyong (脘用) pump' used by volunteer firefighters for fire suppression until the 1970s to the National Fire Museum.

The Wanyong pump is a manual pump operated by the strength of the arm, using the character '팔 완' (arm Wanyong). It was widely used mainly in rural and farming villages until the 1980s, before fire trucks became widely available.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters announced on the 10th that the Goyang Fire Station's Gwansan Volunteer Fire Brigade donated one Wanyong pump, which had been used for fire suppression until the 1970s and was kept at the Gwansan regional unit, to the National Fire Museum on the 8th.

At the donation ceremony, members of the Gwansan Volunteer Fire Brigade and officials from the Goyang Fire Station attended to celebrate the donation. The donated Wanyong pump will be moved to a temporary storage facility in Cheonan, Chungnam, and then exhibited at the National Fire Museum scheduled to open in Gwangmyeong City in 2025.

The Wanyong pump is estimated to have been manufactured in the 1960s. It was purchased by the Gwansan Volunteer Fire Brigade and used for fire suppression, notably during a large factory fire near Byeokje Elementary School in 1979, and was restored and repaired around 2000, and has been preserved since then.

Jo Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, said, "Our country's Wanyong pump is not simply an old firefighting equipment but a precious cultural heritage symbolizing difficult times," adding, "I hope that through such artifacts, the valuable spirit of firefighting will be remembered by many."

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