YONGSAN GARRISON -- U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan Emergency Services and the Yongsan-gu Fire Department share a very special kinship. The two groups perform routine fire fighting and emergency response training in military housing, and participate in other events together throughout the year, including Safe Seoul Day. And that mutual training paid off recently during a fire on Yongsan's Main Post.
On Feb. 15, sirens and black smoke signaled there was a big problem. The headquarters of the Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) Support Group, on the main post area of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan was on fire. As garrison first responders rushed to the scene, the Yongsan-Gu Fire Department sent 63 experienced firefighters immediately to assist. The additional hands alongside garrison fire fighters, played a crucial role in extinguishing the blaze.
On March 18, approximately one month after the incident, members of the Garrison fire department, the Directorate of Emergency Services and the Yongsan Command Group formally visited the Yongsan-gu firehouse to express their gratitude and recognize their emergency services partner.
Lim Sun Ho, chief of the Yongsan-gu Fire Department, said his organization's response comes with the job of being a fireman and hearing of a fire emergency, "We just did what should have been done."
Those who were present at the scene of last month's fire remarked about the excellence displayed by the firefighters from the Korean Fire Department.
"Their professionalism and dedication to duty was second to none," said Timothy Johnson, assistant chief of the Garrison Fire Department. "When we determined a strategy and assigned tasks to our partners, they were hard-chargers. They did everything in a quick, efficient, and above all, safe manner to reach the objective."
The USAG Yongsan Fire Department has received the spotlight for having the best Department of Defense fire prevention program in the pacific. However, last month's fire still had many lessons the personnel took to heart.
"We've always tried to be team players in protecting our community, and we've also tried to establish ourselves as a learning organization," said Alex Temporado, Garrison fire chief. "The biggest lesson we were able to learn from the fire was that we had to be on the same page to operate in unity and create a synergy effect. The fire was a culmination of the lessons that we've learned in past. Also, we've learned how to unify our commands with the Yongsan-gu Fire Department so that there is constant interaction between the two organizations within the same community."
The Yongsan-gu Fire Department has deep historical roots that have allowed it to become an important entity in the central part of Seoul. Originally called the Kyungsung Fire Department during the time of Japanese annexation, it has not only developed into its own independent organization it is today after the nation's independence, but has also become a valuable partner in safety for the people of USAG Yongsan.
"The degree of interaction with the Garrison has been varied over the years," said Chief Lim. "Nevertheless, we are always here to offer support for the safety of the community."
The effects of support and interaction do not seem to be limited to the fire in February, and this aspect is recognized by both sides.
According to the Garrison Fire Department, the two fire stations have two or three joint exercises a year and train together to brief each other and go over the main benchmarks and tasks.
"It is not just because of the fire that we are here today," said Col. Maria P. Eoff, the commanding officer of U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan. "The response shown by our partners was incredible, and we want them to know that we understand the importance of this partnership."
As both sides exchange smiles and handshakes, expectations are high that the bonds will grow even deeper over time.
"This level of teamwork or unity may appear to be small in scale," said Chief Temporado, "But something that we understand in our field as firefighters is that we put out the fires because we know how it will affect the overall mission, as well as the alliance itself."
With essential partners who offer support by doing "what should be done" without question, the alliance is strong and getting stronger.
Related Links:
U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan Homepage
Social Sharing