The government will launch research and development (R&D) on a large wildland fire suppression vehicle equipped with a water tank that can hold 6,000 liters.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Forest Service jointly held an on-site launch briefing for the emergency response research on a "large wildland fire suppression vehicle" on the 5th at a research institute based in the Bio Valley in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
The emergency response research is a project jointly overseen by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and the Ministry of Science and ICT to quickly identify solutions to disaster and safety issues that threaten people's daily lives. Research topics are selected after reviewing the urgency of the issue, feasibility of the research, and the likelihood of problem-solving for disaster and safety issues presented by central government ministries and local governments.
This large wildland fire suppression vehicle research project was selected following an urgent demand survey on research and development related to wildfire response after the recent large wildfires in South and North Gyeongsang, and after reviews by the Korea Forest Service, the lead agency, and experts in disaster and safety. In countries such as France, wildfire suppression vehicles with water capacities of 6,000 liters or more are operated to respond to large wildfires. By contrast, Korea has introduced wildfire suppression vehicles with a capacity of 3,500 liters, and even those rely on imports.
Accordingly, the government will move to develop a large wildland fire suppression vehicle that fully localizes both the body and equipment by converting a military vehicle. The vehicle's water capacity will be developed to the 6,000-liter class, similar to overseas models. This is twice the water capacity of the KA-32 (Kamov), the wildfire suppression helicopter mainly used domestically.
In addition, the government plans to enhance ground wildfire suppression capabilities through advances such as developing water supply technology that enables simultaneous relay supply to multiple fire suppression vehicles and a long-range water discharge system of more than 50 meters.
Lee U-jin, acting director-general for public convergence research policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "We will continue to support emergency response research based on inter-ministerial collaboration to solve urgent disaster and safety issues like wildfires on a science and technology basis." Park Eun-sik, director-general of the Forest Industry Policy Bureau at the Korea Forest Service, said, "As the lead agency for wildfires in the era of climate disasters, we will promote tailored forest science and technology research and development to achieve overwhelming initial suppression from the air and on the ground when wildfires occur, as well as scientific prevention."
Seo Nam-gyo, director-general of the Disaster Management Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), said, "We will work to ensure that practical research and development reflecting on-site opinions is carried out to protect public safety from various disasters."