Kim Dong-yeon Visits Gyeonggi Fire Department on 1st Anniversary of Inauguration, Urges "Thorough Preparation for Heavy Rain and Heatwaves"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is presiding over an emergency inspection meeting on disaster preparedness and response posture at the Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Headquarters Comprehensive Situation Room on the 30th.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, ahead of his first anniversary in office, visited the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 30th and urged, "Please do your best to ensure the safety of residents in preparation for heavy rain and heatwaves."

At the video conference held on the 6th floor of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters for an "Emergency Inspection of Disaster Preparedness and Response Posture," Governor Kim said, "Since heavy rain, typhoons, and heatwaves are expected this year, thorough preventive measures should be established focusing on disaster-vulnerable areas, and if damage occurs, rapid recovery must be supported." He added, "Disasters cause more suffering to the common people and vulnerable groups, so please ensure there are no casualties."

Governor Kim cited Dr. Rieux, the protagonist of Albert Camus' novel The Plague, saying, "In the novel, Dr. Rieux defines the essence of problem-solving as sincerity, and sincerity as 'fulfilling one's duty.'" He added, "Please perform your duties sincerely and uphold the essence of firefighters."

He continued, "Firefighters are the public officials most trusted by the people, and I also have trust, faith, and affection for the fire service." He promised, "I hope you take pride and lead the way in ensuring residents' safety, and the province will actively support improving the poor firefighting environment."

The Fire and Disaster Headquarters is operating an emergency situation room and a real-time emergency communication system in response to the start of the rainy season. In the event of localized heavy rain, the relevant 119 safety centers and local units immediately relay the situation to the headquarters' 119 situation room and main office, enabling a response system that deploys firefighting forces accordingly.

Additionally, the number of call reception desks has been increased from 60 to a maximum of 201 units by adding 141 units, and the number of personnel in the situation room has been reinforced from about 50 to up to 173, increasing to about 220 people.

To prepare for calls that fail to connect due to the surge in 119 emergency calls, emergency duty staff within the headquarters are deployed to promptly call back the callers.

Joint training with related agencies has been conducted targeting 792 areas at risk of casualties to establish a close cooperation system, and preventive patrols and rapid rescue response measures have also been strengthened.

To prevent water-related safety accidents among residents, from July 1 to August 31, 119 Citizen Water Rescue Teams will operate at 25 locations including valleys and rivers. Until the end of September, 276 heatwave ambulances equipped with various heatwave response supplies and 261 standby units called "Pumbulance" will be operated. Additionally, volunteer fire brigade safety teams will remove hazards such as beehives and support water supply to vulnerable groups and livestock farms.

Regarding the reason for holding the meeting at the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Governor Kim said, "To mark the first anniversary of my inauguration, I held the meeting here to keep my original intention and reflect on the past year."

Governor Kim began his official duties last year on July 1 by skipping the inauguration ceremony due to heavy rain and visiting the provincial disaster safety situation room to inspect flood damage.

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