Police may be denied fire hydrant use for water cannons

By Kim Se-jeong

A group of politicians are moving to restrict police from using fire hydrants for their water cannons, following the recent death of farmer Baek Nam-ki who fell into coma after being knocked down by one at a demonstration in central Seoul last November.

Speaking at a local radio station, Wednesday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said he would consider not allowing the police access to fire hydrants near protest sites.

When police use water cannons, they usually ask the fire station of the district where the demonstration is held for use of their fire hydrants.

“The water from the fire hydrants is for fighting fire,” Park said. “It is hard to tolerate allowing police to use water to suppress protesters.”

A city official said, “It is a serious problem that the police water cannon killed a person. We’re currently discussing ways to limit their water access, reviewing whether it is against the law to do so.”

The mayor’s idea has support from Rep. Kim Chung-woo of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea, who proposed a revision to the existing Fire Services Act, Thursday, to restrict police from using fire hydrants for water cannons, “which can cause damage to people.”

The current law says using fire hydrants without proper cause is forbidden; police say using them for water cannons is a proper cause. But according to Kim’s revision, fire hydrants should be used only for fire fighting, rescue and anti-terrorism activities.

Civic groups also joined the move. The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy staged a campaign in front of the National Police Agency in Seoul, Sept. 29, to urge the police to stop using water cannons. An alliance of civic groups supporting Baek called for the same during a press briefing, Thursday.

Such moves have drawn support from the public who were outraged about the farmer’s death, but the police quickly disagreed with them.

“Responding to crowds of protesters with water cannons is a widely accepted method around the world,” a police officer told The Korea Times. “Blocking the water supply won’t stop further casualties among protesters. Instead, it will cause more frequent and violent physical confrontations between the police and protester, and more casualties. I can guarantee that.”

The police carry their own water when they go out to the protest scenes, he said, but added, “It’s never enough. It takes at least 30 minutes to fill it up and come back.”

Critics of Park also claimed that his plan was politically motivated. The mayor is a potential candidate in the presidential election late next year.

During the November protest last year, the police used 202 tons of water, among which 126 tons came directly from the fire hydrants.