Gangwon Fire Department and ICT-based Public Safety Solutions Sign MoU

SK Telecom and the Gangwon Fire Department announced that they have agreed to effectively support firefighting efforts using ICT. Considering Gangwon Province's geography, where 82% of its land is forested, ICT will be used to overcome geographical constraints.

First, SK Telecom will provide the Gangwon Fire Department with a "public safety solution" that combines 230 body-worn special terminals (hereinafter referred to as body cams), four control drones, and the real-time video control system "T Live Caster." The Gangwon Fire Department plans to deploy the equipment to its special rescue team and 16 fire stations under its jurisdiction. Based on the footage sent from the scene by firefighters, the department will systematically respond to various disasters from the situation room.

In addition, SK Telecom and Gangwon Fire Department plan to enhance the solution with ultra-high-speed, ultra-low-latency 5G communication to more quickly identify disaster situations and respond appropriately to various disaster accidents.

Body cameras and drones serve as firefighters' "eyes and feet"—quick rescues with real-time video.

Gangwon Province, with a total area of 16,873㎢ (as of the end of 2016), is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Korea. Consequently, each firefighter in Gangwon Province covers the largest area, and their response times are also longer. Because of the dense forests and many valleys, the frequency of special disasters is higher than in other metropolitan autonomous regions, and it is not easy to identify the location of rescue requests in the event of an accident.

The reason SK Telecom and Gangwon Fire Department decided to collaborate is because they agreed that ICT is necessary to respond quickly and accurately to various accidents and to preserve the golden time for rescue, even in Gangwon Province's geographical environment.
SK Telecom has created a 'public safety solution' by combining body cameras, control drones, and T Live Caster video control to provide practical assistance to firefighters' activities.

Body cameras and control drones serve as firefighters' eyes and feet, enabling them to quickly assess disaster situations. Furthermore, "T Live Caster" helps transmit on-site video without interruption via LTE networks throughout Gangwon Province.

Cases of utilizing ICT for effective disaster response are on the rise both domestically and internationally.

The adoption of ICT for disaster response is expanding globally. Due to factors such as global warming, disasters are becoming more widespread, and predicting the extent of damage is becoming increasingly difficult. Consequently, efforts are being made to systematically and efficiently manage disasters using robots, artificial intelligence, and big data.

The EU has established a "Flood Early Warning System" that installs sensors on embankments and delivers real-time flood risk alerts via mobile devices. Japan, too, is developing technologies to effectively prepare for natural disasters, centered around mobile carriers. NTT Docomo has piloted a system at some of its base stations to monitor tsunamis and detect changes in the Earth's crust, while KDDI is researching a system that would use drones to deliver emergency messages from residents.

In Korea, the government and businesses are also working to introduce ICT for public safety. The Ministry of Science and ICT is developing a platform that uses drones to monitor forest fires and provides real-time scenarios, such as forest fire spread prevention, based on captured footage.

SK Telecom is leading the development of an underwater communications network capable of transmitting real-time information, such as underwater seismic waves and tidal currents measured by sensors. Once established, this network will enable the prediction and response to disasters like tsunamis and undersea earthquakes. Furthermore, in June, SK Telecom developed an "intelligent fire surveillance system" that combines fire alarms, an IoT network, and a management system. This system analyzes heat and smoke to detect fires and relays fire information to the fire department's central situation room.

Gangwon Fire Department Chief Lee Heung-kyo stated, "Today, disasters are becoming increasingly large-scale and complex. Therefore, the application and development of information and communications technology (ICT) are essential for disaster response. We will strive to enhance our disaster response information system, including on-site command and emergency response efficiency."