Heroes of the East Coast Forest Fire



Yonhap News
April 7, 2005

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It was later reported that the helicopters of Korea Forest Service had carried out suppression operation under very harzadous weather conditions in Gangwon-do last April 5. They had flown "recklessly" without complying with the Safety Guidelines.
It is indicated in Chapter 3 Article 25 of the Aviation Guidelines(Weather condition and safety measures) of Forest Aviation Office that medium-sized helicopter operations are not allowed for average wind velocity of 10m/s and above; super-sized and large-sized helicopter operations are not allowed for average wind velocity of 15m/s and above.

The wind velocity in Yangyang, Gangwon-do of the day the forest fire broke was 20~25m/s. All the helicopters were in violation of the safety regulation.
The pilots later mentioned that due to the strong wind and altitude, the helicopter were under severe turbulence and they moved against their will .


Especially while loading water over the river, they had zero visibility because of the water splashes caused by the strong wind. Despite the dangerous weather conditions, all 39 helicopters mobilized that day were able to accomplish their duties without any casualties.

American pilot for the leased super-sized helicopter was mobilized for operation and he couldn＇t hide his amazement to see the KFS pilots fly in such dangerous conditions.

While the American pilot landed when the wind velocity went up for inspection, the KFS pilots continued on with the suppression operation.
The recent forest fire in Yangyang and Goseong of Gangwon-do was minimized because of the courage of the pilots who carried out suppression operation at their own risk.

The pilots, being all former military man with strong sense of duty, have efficiently dealt with the recent fire based on their experiences with large scale forest fires of 96 in Goseong and of 2000 in Samcheok.

Pilot Lee Dae-sig of Jincheon Aviation Station said, "When I saw the forest fire devouring the villages right before my eyes, I didn＇t have the time to even think." "I just hope for quick recovery of the the victims and of the damaged forests," he added.


Translated by Int＇l Cooperation Division
☎ +82-42-481-4081 (Ms. Lee, Mira)