New association launches to defend communities from urban wildfires

As large-scale wildfires increasingly spread beyond forests to threaten villages, cities and critical national infrastructure, a new professional organization has launched to build a field-centered wildfire response system. The group aims to go beyond fire suppression, pursuing resident evacuation, residential area protection and improvements to response systems through advanced technology.

The Korea Urban Wildfire Response Association held its inaugural ceremony and founding symposium Thursday at the Government Sejong Convention Center in Sejong, marking the start of its efforts to strengthen urban wildfire response capabilities. The private professional organization brings together field experts from the firefighting and forestry sectors along with academics and industry representatives, and received its establishment permit from the National Fire Agency in July.

Association Chairman Hwang Jeong-seok said in his welcoming address that the group's goal is "to pool experience and expertise to improve the wildfire response system and protect the lives and livelihoods of the public."

Hwang said the association would focus its efforts on addressing structural problems in the current wildfire response framework. He drew particular attention to the passage on Sept. 17 of an amendment to the Framework Act on Fire Services that reclassifies wildfire suppression as a core firefighting function rather than a supplementary support activity.

"Our association will fulfill its responsibilities to ensure this change translates into improved response capabilities on the ground," he said. "We will back the National Fire Agency's urban wildfire policies with professional research and policy proposals, and work to broaden public consensus to lay the institutional and social foundations needed."

He added, "Above all, we will develop solutions that work in the field — connecting accumulated experience to research, and translating research outcomes into education, training and on-the-ground practice."

In his report on the association's founding and vision statement, Hwang said the goal of wildfire response must expand from protecting forests to safeguarding residents' lives and living environments. His remarks reflected a recognition that wildfires have evolved into complex national-scale disasters, as seen in the 2013 urban wildfire in Pohang, the 2019 Gangwon Province east coast wildfire, the 2022 Uljin-Samcheok wildfire and last year's large-scale wildfire in North Gyeongsang Province.

Drawing on his experience investigating more than 650 wildfire sites across the country over the past 15 years, Hwang identified the limits of the existing response framework. He said specialized response tactics are needed to predict how fires spread at the interface between forests and urban areas, evacuate residents quickly, and defend homes and key facilities.

To that end, the association has established three core operational pillars: education and training; research, policy and technology; and regional and institutional cooperation. It plans to run seven tailored training courses for firefighters, volunteer fire brigades, residents and local governments, and to develop 30 specialist instructors.

The association will also conduct policy research and response system assessments using wildfire field survey data. It plans to use GPS and drones to survey high-risk wildfire areas and examine the field applicability of AI-based detection technology and Korean-developed firefighting equipment. Next year, it intends to expand its community-based response network by establishing chapters in eight cities and provinces nationwide.

Former National Fire Agency Director General Kim Seung-ryong, who delivered congratulatory remarks at the ceremony, said a field-centered response system must be built to address the growing complexity of large-scale wildfires.

"Where forests meet cities, fires threaten residential areas, industrial facilities and critical national infrastructure," Kim said. "All relevant agencies must be able to move together on the ground — from prevention and monitoring through to suppression and resident evacuation."

He called for the expertise of the forestry sector, local governments, the military, academia and private companies to be connected under the leadership of the fire service. He also identified the development of suppression equipment combining advanced technology with field experience, the testing of response tactics and the expansion of specialist education as key roles for the association.

"I hope the association will become a hub that translates field experience into advances in policy and technology," Kim said, "and a strong shield that protects villages and cities."

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Cha Gyu-geun delivered video congratulatory remarks emphasizing the significance of the Framework Act on Fire Services amendment. Cha was the lead sponsor of the bill that reclassifies wildfire suppression as a firefighting activity.

"In the face of wildfires, firefighters are no longer 'helpers' — they are the responsible party," Cha said, urging the association to pursue scientific rigor in wildfire response research, translate field experience into policy and technology, and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies.

National Fire Agency Director General Choi Yong-cheol also emphasized the need for a response system tailored to large-scale urban wildfires in written congratulatory remarks. Choi conveyed the agency's willingness to communicate and provide support for the association's planned work on hazard analysis, legal and institutional reform, specialist education, and field testing of drone and AI-equipped systems.

The symposium that followed the inaugural ceremony covered topics including improvements to the firefighting system in response to the growing scale of wildfires, the characteristics of urban wildfires in the era of climate change, complex disaster response using AI and the Internet of Things, and the operational challenges and potential applications of wildfire-suppression drones.

Park Seong-yeol, a professor at Gyeongil University, presented on directions for improving the firefighting response system as wildfires grow larger, while Kim Gyeong-nam, a senior research fellow at the Gangwon Research Institute, discussed the characteristics of urban wildfires based on cases from Gangwon Province. Jeong Sang, a professor at Chung-Ang University, and Lee Byeong-seok, a professor at Soonchunhyang University, presented on advanced technology-based disaster response and the use of wildfire-suppression drones, respectively.

Seong Je-hun, director of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences under the Rural Development Administration and an adviser to the association, said, "Farmers suffer the greatest losses when wildfires break out," adding that he would work closely with the association to develop measures to prevent wildfires and minimize damage to farming communities.

The association plans to build a cooperative framework among the fire service, forestry authorities, local governments, research institutions and industry, focusing on developing policies and technologies that can be applied in the field.