Characteristics of Forest Fires in Korea and Crisis Management Policy

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국치안행정학회
· 수록지 정보 : 한국치안행정논집 / 8권 / 1호 / 77 ~ 92페이지
· 저자명 : 박동균, 박기범

초록

Natural disasters exhibit seasonal characteristics. In Korea, forest fires are the most dangerous type of disaster in spring, whereas storms and floods(including typhoons) pose major threats in summer.
Korea is likely to experience forest fires because of its forest characteristics, topography, and climate. Korea’s highly dense forests are covered with many fallen leaves, which are easy to burn. When a fire breaks out, the steep and undulating mountains help the fire to spread at an alarming rate. In particular, seasonal winds during dry periods in spring help fires to spread across multiple areas simultaneously.
As the five-day work week system extends throughout the country, the danger is concentrated in certain days such as holidays and long weekends. Recent forest fires have exhibited the following characteristics. First, they have been getting larger and more diversified. Accordingly, the damages are astronomical. Second, because of their efficiency and variability, outbreaks have become increasingly difficult to predict. Third, as the time available to fight a forest fire is extremely short, detailed daily crisis management plan is crucial.
Forest fires not only ruin forests but also devastate ecosystems, destroy cultural assets, and sweep away the livelihood of those living in rural areas. Forest fires typically occur as a result of human activity(mistakes or carelessness), not natural factors. Gaining access to fight forest fires is a lengthy and difficult task, and securing a suitable source of water is not easy. In particular, night-time forest fires make fire control even more difficult.
Thus, to minimize damage from forest fires, the key focus should be on spring(the period of greatest danger), and suitable countermeasures should be established accordingly. Further, proper and practical control over people using mountains(e.g., climbers) should be strengthened, and efforts should be made to increase the public’s awareness of the dangers of forest fires. In addition, to address unavoidable forest fires, an effective early detection system, sufficient manpower, and large fire-fighting helicopters(along with other cutting-edge equipment) are needed. Finally, in places where there are cultural assets(e.g., temples with national treasures), smaller fire engines should be on standby, and a sprinkler system should be in place. Without a doubt, regular training programs for fire fighters are critical.

참고자료

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