Seoul City to Fully Implement 'Spring Mountain Accident Rescue Measures' Starting Next Month 1

Mountain Emergency Rescue Kit Maintenance, Mountain Rescue Training, Safety Accident Prevention Campaign

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 31st that it will implement the "Spring Mountain Accident Rescue Measures" starting from the 1st of next month, anticipating an increase in the number of spring hikers compared to previous years due to COVID-19.

From the 1st of next month until the end of May, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will promote comprehensive measures including ▲inspection of mountain emergency rescue kits and emergency rescue location signs ▲rescue training to prepare for falling rock accidents and isolation accidents ▲operation of a faster mountain accident response system ▲implementation of mountain safety accident prevention campaigns.

According to the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, there were a total of 4,389 mountain accident rescue activities over the past three years: 1,332 cases in 2018, 1,312 cases in 2019, and 1,745 cases in 2020. Last year, mountain rescue activities increased by about 33% (433 cases) compared to the previous year. The number of rescued people was 966 in 2018, 887 in 2019, and 1,090 in 2020. Last year, there was an average of 4.8 dispatches per day, rescuing about 3 people each time.

By accident type, slips and falls accounted for the most with 1,068 cases, followed by general distress with 649 cases, and personal illness with 238 cases. If you have underlying conditions such as diabetes, it is necessary to check whether you have brought the medication you usually take before hiking. By mountain, Bukhansan had the highest number with 1,124 cases, followed by Gwanaksan with 659 cases, Dobongsan with 447 cases, and Suraksan with 159 cases.

By day of the week, Sunday had the highest number of rescued people at 820, followed by Saturday with 705, and Wednesday with 343. 51.8% of the rescued people due to mountain accidents occurred on weekends, and the average number of rescues per day on weekends was about 2.7 times higher than on weekdays.

By age group, people in their 50s were the most at 828, followed by those in their 60s with 577, 40s with 379, 20s with 360, and 70s with 293. People in their 50s and 60s accounted for 47.7% of the total rescued. Additionally, over the past three years, fire helicopters were dispatched for a total of 708 mountain accidents, averaging 236 dispatches per year and rescuing about 202 people.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, "Due to COVID-19, more citizens are visiting mountains close to the city," and added, "We will do our utmost to promote mountain safety measures for citizens' safe spring hiking."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.