Nowon-gu Gas Meter Readers and CCTV Monitoring Staff Take Initiative for Suicide Prevention

Nowon-gu, Suicide Prevention Life Keeper Training on 25-26th... Daeryun E&S Gas Meter Readers, 40 CCTV Monitoring Staff Targeted for Smart Care Team, Management Office Employees, Security Guards Trained as Life Keepers... Suicide Prevention Education for 7,870 Students at 40 Elementary, Middle, and High Schools

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) will conduct suicide prevention life keeper training for gas meter readers and CCTV monitoring personnel over two days on the 25th and 26th at the district office small auditorium.

The training targets include 30 gas meter readers from Daeryun E&S and about 10 personnel from the CCTV Integrated Control Center.

For the control center personnel, training will be conducted in three sessions due to their three-shift work schedule.

The lecture content is based on the Central Suicide Prevention Center’s “See, Hear, Speak” education program, covering ▲ Suicide status in Korea and Nowon-gu ▲ Understanding suicide risk ▲ Identifying suicide risk and providing safe assistance ▲ Crisis intervention for high-risk groups.

The training on the 25th will start at 4 PM, and on the 26th at 7 PM, each lasting two hours.

The lectures will be conducted by Choi Hyun-sook, a suicide prevention specialist from the public health center, and Kim Jeong-jae, head of the Life Respect Team.

Last year, the district signed an MOU with Daeryun E&S for life respect and suicide prevention, deciding to identify high-risk groups through gas meter readers.

Through this training, gas meter readers are expected to enhance their awareness and sensitivity toward suicide prevention.

Additionally, the district plans to nurture CCTV Integrated Control Center personnel, who monitor Nowon-gu 24 hours a day, as life keepers. The control center personnel, who have played a significant role in crime prevention, are also expected to contribute to suicide prevention.

Previously, the district conducted life keeper training three times for 200 members of the “Knock Knock Care Team,” which supports vulnerable groups such as the elderly.

Also, in cooperation with the Housing Management Corporation, on-site training was provided twice to 26 employees and security guards at rental apartment management offices.

Meanwhile, to prevent youth suicide, since March, suicide prevention education has been conducted for about 7,800 students across 40 elementary, middle, and high schools. Life keeper training is one of the four most effective suicide prevention policies designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Since 2010, the district has consistently provided suicide prevention education to residents and staff, nurturing over 3,500 life keepers. As a result of these efforts, the suicide rate, which was 25 per 100,000 people in 2010, dropped to around 20 per 100,000 in 2020.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “If gas meter readers working closest to residents and CCTV monitoring personnel who thoroughly watch over the area increase their sensitivity to suicide prevention, our community will become much safer. If all local entities come together to save lives, we expect to drastically reduce the suicide rate within three years.”

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