Gangwon Province Launches 'Autumn Wildfire Prevention Measures' Early... All-Out Effort to Prevent Wildfires

Province Launches "Autumn Wildfire Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters" 12 Days Early
Deploying 26 Firefighting Helicopters and 15,398 Prevention and Monitoring Personnel

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim Jin-tae) announced on October 19 that, in order to proactively respond to the risk of wildfires during the autumn wildfire prevention period, it will move up the start date of this period by 12 days, beginning on October 20 instead of the originally scheduled November 1, and continuing until December 15.

A panoramic view of Gangwon Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gangwon Provincial Government.

This measure is intended to proactively address adverse conditions such as dry weather and strong winds. The province will operate the "Autumn Wildfire Prevention Countermeasures Headquarters" for 57 days, centered around the Wildfire Prevention Center, and will implement a 24-hour emergency response system to ensure rapid dissemination of information and immediate initial firefighting in the event of a wildfire.

To strengthen wildfire prevention and initial response, the province will deploy a total of 15,398 public and private personnel, including 2,380 wildfire monitors, 1,118 professional wildfire prevention and suppression team members, 1,867 village heads, and 6,854 volunteer firefighters, to enhance wildfire prevention and monitoring activities.

Key resources for wildfire suppression, such as leased firefighting helicopters, have also been deployed early. As of October 12, a total of eight helicopters have been stationed: two 3,400-liter helicopters in the East Coast region, three 1,200-liter helicopters in the border region, and three 900-liter helicopters in the Yeongseo region. Including seven helicopters from the Korea Forest Service, three from fire departments, and eight from military units, a total of 26 helicopters will be available for immediate deployment in the event of a wildfire.

Since illegal burning of agricultural by-products is expected to occur frequently after the autumn harvest, the forestry and agriculture departments will collaborate to focus on collecting and shredding agricultural by-products, and will strictly impose fines on those who engage in illegal burning.

Yoon Seung-gi, Director of the Forest Environment Bureau of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, stated, "During the autumn foliage season, the number of visitors surges, and activities such as harvesting forest products increase, raising the risk of wildfires. We ask all residents to refrain from illegal burning or handling of embers near forested areas."

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