Firefighting Heroes

[Anchor Lead]

The latest forest fire in Gangwon-do Province spread during the nighttime, making it extremely difficult to extinguish. But the fire was contained as it was, thanks to the bravery of the special firefighters belonging to the Korea Forest Service. But these firefighters specializing in forest fires are contracted to work for just ten months and paid only around 100 dollars a day.

[Pkg]

Red blazes rip through the mountains. The terrain is too rugged for fire trucks and equipment to get through. There are people who carry the water hoses all the way up there in the dark.

[Soundbite] "Put them out! The flames over there are growing."

They are special firefighters of the Korea Forest Service. They received a radio call upon returning from Gangwon-do Province. Another fire has erupted 350 meters up Suraksan Mountain in Seoul. They lug hoses weighing 20 kilograms on their backs and start putting out the fire. Roughly 180 special firefighters of the Korea Forest Service were deployed to fight the recent blaze in Gangwon-do Province. They only had disposable dust masks to protect them while fighting the fire all night long. The work is demanding and dangerous, yet they only make 100,000 won per day, or around 2 million won a month. Worse still, they only get 10 month contracts.

[Soundbite] Lim Jong-geun(Special Firefighter of Forest Fires) : "We need to take a test again after 10 months. It's hard because we have to prepare for the test again."

There are 330 of these brave individuals specializing in forest fires in Korea. Their average age: 51 and there aren't enough members to rotate in shifts. But they keep at it.
To them, it's more than just a job.

[Soundbite] "It's a sense of duty. We are proud of this job."

The latest forest fire in Gangwon-do Province burned down 530 hectares of forest and destroyed some 480 homes. The special firefighters risked their lives at the front lines to keep the fire at bay. But due to budget constraints the team cannot provide full time positions, only 10 month contracts.