National Assembly forum on plans to establish a one-stop system for preventing, suppressing and recovering from major bushfire disasters
Assembly members Min Hong-cheol and Kim Jeong-ho held a forum on ‘Plans to establish a one-stop system for preventing, suppressing and recovering from major bushfire disasters’ at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on 31 July. Dr Kwon Chun-geun of the National Institute of Forest Science is presenting. [Photo= Reporter Jo Jeong-hoon]
Regarding bushfire disasters, whose frequency and scale of damage are increasing due to climate change, calls have been made to establish an integrated bushfire management system covering the entire cycle from prevention to suppression and recovery. As existing methods focused on fragmented responses have limitations in bushfire management, it was explained that the technologies for each stage must be considered, integrated and systematised.
Dr Kwon Chun-geun of the National Institute of Forest Science under the Korea Forest Service made these remarks at a forum on ‘Plans to establish a one-stop system for preventing, suppressing and recovering from major bushfire disasters’, held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on 31 July.
At the forum, Dr Kwon Chun-geun gave a presentation on ‘Plans to establish an integrated management system for each stage of bushfire disaster management using advanced technologies’ and emphasised that innovating disaster management based on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), satellites and drones, the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital twins is an important task.
For the prevention stage, he proposed establishing a system for quantifying and monitoring fuel loads through LiDAR-based three-dimensional terrain and vegetation data analysis, in order to precisely identify the fuel load in each high-risk area. He also mentioned the need for visualisation, including the production of long-term bushfire risk maps based on climate scenarios.
For the preparedness stage, he considered establishing an integrated command system using digital technology to be crucial. He said that a real-time situation-sharing system must be established to prevent confusion between agencies.
Dr Kwon proposed establishing a multi-layered surveillance system integrating satellites, drones and sensors, as well as applying AI technologies to detect smoke patterns and infrared temperature anomalies, during the response stage, when early detection and spread prediction technologies are important.
He noted that, during the recovery stage, it is important to quickly identify the extent and causes of the damage and systematically support the recovery of forests and local communities. He also said that an integrated support system encompassing psychological recovery after a disaster must be established.
Dr Kwon said, “As wildfires have become complex disasters, it is essential to move beyond the existing response focused on firefighting and transition to an integrated management system that uses advanced technologies throughout the entire cycle. We will only be able to ensure public safety by establishing a genuinely technology-based wildfire disaster management system through expanded government investment in technology R&D, the establishment of a public–private collaborative operations platform, and the development of a legal and institutional foundation.”
Meanwhile, the discussion, hosted and organised by National Assembly members Min Hong-cheol (Democratic Party of Korea, Gimhae Gap, Gyeongnam) and Kim Jeong-ho (Democratic Party of Korea, Gimhae Eul, Gyeongnam), was attended by a large number of industry representatives, who exchanged views on the current operation of wildfire prevention policies and measures for improvement.
The discussion featured presentations and a panel discussion on topics including ▲the current operation and improvement measures for wildfire prevention policies (Hwang Jeong-seok, Director of the Wildfire Policy and Technology Research Institute) ▲the present and future of modern large-scale wildfires (Dr Jang Jae-young, Forest Holdings) ▲the establishment of a one-stop system and a multidimensional response system through AI (Bang Gi-seong, President of the Korea Disaster Prevention Association; Lee Byeong-seok, Professor at Soonchunhyang University; and Lee Hwan-ho, CEO of CLEVI) ▲measures for establishing an integrated management system for each stage of wildfire disaster management using advanced technologies (Dr Kwon Chun-geun, National Institute of Forest Science, Korea Forest Service).
In his opening remarks, National Assembly member Min Hong-cheol emphasised, “The large-scale wildfires that occurred on the east coast and in northern Gyeongsangbuk-do in March this year provided an opportunity to reflect on the current state of our country’s disaster response system. Wildfire management policies must integrate the entire process into a one-stop system, from prevention—detecting and containing wildfires—to rapid and efficient firefighting and a recovery system with resilience.”
A commemorative photo is being taken by the presenters and guests at the discussion on ‘Measures for Establishing a One-Stop System for Preventing, Fighting and Recovering from Large-Scale Wildfire Disasters’, held at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building on 31 July. [Photo = Reporter Jo Jeong-hun]
Reporter Jo Jeong-hun [email protected]
Source: Electimes (Reporter Jo Jeong-hun) | https://www.electimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=358521