The National Fire Agency's National 119 Rescue Headquarters said on Apr. 1 it has completed the deployment of a "high-capacity foam discharge system" to the Seosan 119 Chemical Rescue Center in the Chungcheong region. After the equipment was delivered on Feb. 27, monthlong training on equipment operation and field adaptation has been carried out.
The high-capacity foam discharge system is advanced equipment specialized for large oil tank fires and other incidents that are difficult to handle with existing firefighting gear. Multiple devices, including water monitors, large pumps, submersible pumps, and hose recovery units, are interconnected to operate as a single system.
Using a submersible pump, it can draw water without restriction from lakes, rivers, or the sea as firefighting water and discharge up to 45,000 liters (L) per minute. That is enough to fill a 30-meter-long swimming pool in 25 minutes.
It can also project water up to a maximum distance of 110 meters, which the National Fire Agency said is expected to enable effective long-range large-scale firefighting operations.
The high-capacity foam discharge system proved effective during large oil fires. In 2018, during the oil storage tank fire in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, it took more than 17 hours to bring the blaze under control. However, after the high-capacity foam discharge system was first introduced, during the large oil tank fire at the Ulsan petrochemical complex in Feb. 2025, major flames were brought under control in 15 minutes and the fire was fully extinguished in three hours.
The National Fire Agency has used the high-capacity foam discharge system for various purposes beyond firefighting. In 2022, when Typhoon "Hinnamnor" caused flooding in the underground parking lot of an apartment complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, and at the POSCO Pohang Works, the system was deployed for large-scale drainage operations. It was also effective at the flooded underpass site in Osong, North Chungcheong, in 2023.
During last year's drought in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, the high-capacity foam discharge system supplied 120,000 tons (t) of water over two weeks.
The National 119 Rescue Headquarters deployed the high-capacity foam discharge system in the Yeongnam region in 2022 and in the Chungcheong region this year, and plans to introduce it in the Honam region in 2027.
Kim Su-hwan, head of the National 119 Rescue Headquarters, said, "By expanding the nationwide response network of high- and medium-capacity foam discharge systems, we will take the lead in protecting the lives and property of the public with swift and overwhelming government-level responses even in extreme disaster situations."