Hwaseong City Operates Winter Disaster Response System

Hwaseong City announced on the 30th that it will establish and operate a disaster response system to prevent heavy snow and forest fires during the winter season.

The City Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters has designated the period from December 1st to March 15th next year as the winter natural disaster countermeasures period and has secured 135 snow removal equipment including snow plows and spreaders, as well as 6,600 tons of snow removal materials such as calcium chloride and sand.

The headquarters will operate a responsibility section system for snow removal vehicles covering 1,187 km of managed roads, including 54 snow removal vulnerable areas and 16 major mountain passes. It plans to maintain close cooperation with related organizations to enable immediate snow removal operations when heavy snow occurs.

In the event of heavy snow that causes traffic disruptions such as bus service suspensions, the headquarters has prepared measures to resolve traffic inconvenience by increasing bus operations and coordinating with the police to implement measures such as suspending the "alternating operation system" for private taxis.

Additionally, the headquarters plans to introduce a remote snow removal and disaster prevention system that uses smartphones to spray liquid de-icing agents on roads at approximately 20 locations including the Maesong ramp section of National Route 98, an area prone to freezing, to ensure thorough road management during winter.

The headquarters will also strengthen forest fire surveillance activities by sending weather alert messages via SMS to facility farms and others during weather warnings and operating helicopters and specialized forest fire extinguishing teams.