The National Fire Agency said on the 13th it will extend the national firefighting mobilization order issued for South Gyeongsang, which is suffering from an extreme drought, and continue water supply support activities for the time being. The agency had initially planned to maintain the mobilization order only until 6 p.m. that day.
The National Fire Agency said it will, however, adjust the previously mobilized 200 vehicles from 16 city and provincial fire headquarters to 100 vehicles from 12 headquarters. Considering distance and each region's disaster response needs, mobilized vehicles from the Seoul, Incheon, Northern Gyeonggi, and North Jeolla fire headquarters will return, while some of the mobilized vehicles from the Gyeonggi and Gangwon fire headquarters will return.
The National Fire Agency will flexibly deploy 100 fire water tankers by monitoring, in real time, reservoir levels and water supply support demand in South Gyeongsang. To proactively prepare for possible breakdowns from long hours of driving and repeated water supply operations, it will dispatch and operate an "NFA emergency maintenance support team" in South Gyeongsang.
If the drought situation improves, the National Fire Agency plans to hold a situational assessment meeting with the South Gyeongsang Fire Headquarters and decide whether to lift the national firefighting mobilization order.
Choi Yong-chul, acting commissioner of the National Fire Agency, said, "We will closely monitor the water supply situation in South Gyeongsang until the drought is resolved and do our best to ensure the necessary firefighting resources are deployed where needed, when needed."