Korea Forest Service Shares Korean Wildfire Suppression Expertise with Central Asia

Korean wildfire suppression expertise is being transferred to Central Asia.

The Korea Forest Service announced on August 20 that it will conduct a wildfire suppression instructor training simulation in Kazakhstan until August 31.

Participants in the wildfire suppression instructor training simulation being conducted in Kazakhstan are taking a commemorative photo. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

The training is part of the "Asian Wildfire Capacity Enhancement Project," which is being carried out in cooperation with Korea, France, and the Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO). Five countries are participating in the training: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, and Bhutan.

The Korea Forest Service has dispatched five personnel to the training, including instructors from the Korea Forest Aviation Headquarters and the Korea Association for Wildfire Prevention. These dispatched experts will share Korea's ground wildfire suppression techniques and experience during local training sessions, and will provide hands-on education aimed at establishing a joint wildfire response system among member countries.

The main topics of the training include: ▲ methods for detecting combustion using thermal imaging drones ▲ establishing suppression strategies for various wildfire scenarios ▲ on-site wildfire safety management and first aid.

The Korea Forest Service plans to conduct the training using a specialized educational approach based on Korea's unique wildfire suppression expertise.

In addition, the agency aims to lay the groundwork for exports by introducing the "wildfire retardant," an innovative product developed by a domestic company, to participating countries, thereby enabling Korean technology to be utilized in international forest disaster response efforts.

Nam Songhee, Director General of International Forest Cooperation at the Korea Forest Service, stated, "With the risk of wildfires increasing worldwide due to climate change, the Korea Forest Service will strive to advance domestic wildfire policy and lead global forest disaster support through the Asian Wildfire Capacity Enhancement Project."

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