Disinfection of Contaminated Emergency Equipment~Isolation and Observation of Suspected COVID-19 Responders... Seoul City Establishes and Operates 'One-Stop 119 Infection Control Room'

Consolidating Previously Distributed Facilities into One Location to Enhance Work Convenience and Preemptively Block Infection Transmission
Infection Control Room for Ambulance Equipment Disinfection, Infection Observation Room for Temporary Isolation of Paramedics, Vehicle Interior and Exterior Cleaning Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 14th that it has established a ‘One-Stop Infection Control Room’ within the Jungnang Fire Station and began its operation earlier this month to create a safe 119 ambulance transport system against infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

The ‘One-Stop Infection Control Room’ is the first ‘multipurpose’ infection control facility built by the Fire and Disaster Headquarters. It enhances the function of the existing ‘Infection Control Room,’ which is used for cleaning and disinfecting equipment used in emergency patient transport and emergency treatment, and consolidates facilities that were previously operated separately, such as the ‘Infection Observation Room’ for temporary isolation of paramedics suspected of infection and the ‘Storage Warehouse’ for supplies, all in one place.

The goal is to increase the efficiency of ambulance and transport operations by handling the infection control tasks for field personnel safely in one place, while also preventing the possibility of third-party infection transmission in advance, thereby creating a safe environment for both citizens and personnel.

The ‘One-Stop Infection Control Room’ installed at the Jungnang Fire Station is a two-story building above ground, consisting of an infection control room, spraying facilities for cleaning ambulance vehicles, an infection observation room, and a storage warehouse.

The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters is operating the ‘One-Stop Infection Control Room’ not only at Jungnang Fire Station but also open for use by all fire stations, police, and other cities and provinces within Seoul. There are plans to expand the One-Stop Infection Control Room according to the conditions of each fire station in the future.

Additionally, the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters has been continuously conducting bacterial and virus tests on ambulance vehicles to establish a safe 119 ambulance transport system. As a result of testing 171 119 ambulances, including those dedicated to infectious diseases, for four types of bacteria and the COVID-19 virus, none of the 853 samples collected from major ambulance equipment detected any bacteria or viruses.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters is also responsible for transporting patients with adverse reactions to vaccinations since the start of the vaccination campaign. From February 26, when vaccinations began, to July 9, a total of 2,735 patients were transported due to adverse reactions.

Seo Soon-tak, Director of Disaster Response at the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “By operating the ‘One-Stop Infection Control Room,’ where everything from disinfecting and cleaning emergency equipment to temporarily isolating paramedics is done in one place, we will create a safe 119 ambulance transport system against infectious diseases. We will continue to strive to create a safe environment for both citizens and field personnel during the COVID-19 situation.”

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