[Anchor]
The first helicopter hasn't even been properly delivered, and with less than three months left until the delivery deadline for the second one, it is virtually impossible for it to arrive on time. Concerns are already mounting for the upcoming autumn wildfire prevention period. Can the extra-large helicopters brought in for nighttime firefighting actually be deployed in the field?
Noh Yujin reports on this issue.
[Reporter]
In the pitch-black night where you cannot see an inch ahead, if a wildfire breaks out and smoke billows up, visibility drops significantly, making it difficult to launch helicopters.
SBS conducted a full analysis of over 12,000 flight records spanning 12 years across all 63 Korea Forest Service helicopters, obtained through a freedom of information request.
There were only 10 instances where helicopters sortied during the day and continued firefighting operations into the night.
There was not a single record of a first takeoff after sunset.
To overcome these limitations in nighttime firefighting, the Korea Forest Service has been introducing helicopters equipped with night-vision goggles, thermal imaging cameras, and large-capacity water tanks. However, even the helicopter brought in early this year has had zero nighttime deployments.
The Korea Forest Service explains that conditions were not suitable to dispatch nighttime helicopters.
However, nighttime wildfires this year nearly doubled compared to the 10-year average, and they occurred frequently in the spring.
The problem is the fast-approaching autumn wildfire prevention period.
Last autumn, a major wildfire broke out in Inje, Gangwon Province.
Around 300 personnel, including wildfire suppression crew members, were deployed, but due to the steep terrain, it was not enough to stop the fire from spreading overnight.
It was only after daylight, when 25 helicopters were mobilized en masse, that the flames were barely brought under control.
In the meantime, 37 hectares, equivalent to 51 football fields, were reduced to ashes.
[Lee Chang-woo, Professor Emeritus, Department of Fire and Disaster Protection, Soongsil Cyber University: Fires need to be suppressed at an early stage. You can only reduce damage if you have a readiness posture to suppress fires immediately when they break out in the evening or at night.]
Last autumn alone, 53 wildfires burned an area equivalent to 102 football fields. It remains uncertain whether the helicopter temporarily provided to the Korea Forest Service by a U.S. company can be deployed this coming fall.
Because it belongs to a U.S. company, our pilots cannot fly it, and under the contract, pilot personnel are only provided during the spring season.
To deploy it in the fall, additional negotiations with the company are required, but discussions have not even begun.
[Lee Seong-gwan, Head of the Aviation Maintenance Division, Korea Forest Aviation Headquarters: If (pilot) personnel come during that period (fall), costs will be incurred by the manufacturer as well, so we are not sure how the negotiations will turn out.]
It has been four years since the project to introduce extra-large helicopters to tackle nighttime wildfires and other disasters was launched.
Yet, everything remains opaque: what kind of accident history the incoming helicopters might have, whether they will properly receive certification, and consequently whether they will be delivered on time.
The Korea Forest Service's stance is simply that if the company fails to meet the contract terms, they will just terminate the contract.
[Lee Seong-gwan, Head of the Aviation Maintenance Division, Korea Forest Aviation Headquarters: Since we can only say that we will terminate the contract if they do not fulfill it as agreed...]
An extra-large disaster response project involving over 320 billion won in national budget is being shaken by sloppy contracts and irresponsible attitudes.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Reported by Seol Min-hwan | Video by Lee Hong-myeong | Graphics by Park Tae-young, Lee Jun-ho | Producers: Kim Do-gyun, Han Seung-ho | XR: Choi Jae-young, Park Cheon-웅 | VJ: Kim Jun-ho | Data provided by the office of Representative Yoon Jun-byeong | Video provided by Columbia Helicopters YouTube, YouTube and SNS sources: Jaraseon Yeong-gu, Jirisan Sancheong-sali, Bicha-wa-Naltle, Film Master)
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