Fire Incidents in Gwangju Region Decrease by 14.8% in First Half of This Year Compared to Last Year

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The number of fire incidents in the Gwangju area during the first half of this year has decreased compared to the previous year.

On the 14th, according to the analysis of local firefighting activity statistics for the first half of this year by the Gwangju Fire Safety Headquarters, the number of fire incidents decreased by 14.8% compared to last year, while rescue, emergency medical services, and daily safety activities increased by 8%, 4.7%, and 25%, respectively.

There were a total of 389 fire incidents (an average of 2.15 per day), down 14.8% from 457 incidents last year, resulting in 12 casualties and property damage amounting to approximately 6.692 billion KRW.

The most common locations for fires were non-residential places such as restaurants and industrial facilities, accounting for 161 cases (41.3%). By cause, negligence accounted for 205 cases (52.6%), electrical factors 101 cases (25.9%), mechanical factors 41 cases (10.5%), and unknown causes 17 cases (4.3%).

Among these, most fires caused by negligence were due to cigarette butts with 90 cases (43.9%) and food cooking with 29 cases (7.5%).

There were a total of 2,729 rescue dispatches, averaging 15.1 rescue activities per day, which is an 8.0% increase compared to 2,527 cases last year.

Among all rescue cases, by accident type, traffic accidents accounted for 652 cases (23.9%), elevator accidents 373 cases (13.7%), and suicide attempts 273 cases (10.0%). Traffic accidents were concentrated in April (18.7%), a time with many spring outings and travel vehicles.

In particular, incidents involving people trapped increased significantly to 132 cases, a 288% rise from 34 cases last year, contributing to the overall increase in rescue cases. Being trapped refers to situations where the victim cannot escape on their own due to locking or isolation and requires external assistance. Among these, 91 cases were trapped inside buildings, 11 inside vehicles, and 30 in other situations.

Daily safety dispatches totaled 4,800, averaging 27 citizen-centered safety activities per day, representing a 25% increase from the previous year. Safety measures accounted for 1,277 cases (26.6%), false alarms of fire facilities 1,039 cases (21.6%), and animal capture 921 cases (19.2%).

The number of daily safety activities in June was about 300 cases higher than the monthly average of 800 cases, which is attributed to the earlier start of bee hive removal dispatches this year, moved from July to June.

Among animal capture activities, dog captures, including stray dogs, have continuously decreased since early this year, showing a 21.5% decrease compared to last year, whereas cat capture activities increased by 12%.

Emergency medical services were dispatched a total of 32,851 times, averaging 181 dispatches per day, with 22,576 people transported. Compared to the previous year, dispatches increased by 5.3% (1,651 cases) and transported individuals increased by 4.7% (1,006 people).

By patient type, diseases (such as pain and decreased consciousness) accounted for 15,411 people (68.3%), accident injuries (falls, slips, etc.) 4,216 people (18.7%), and traffic accidents 2,031 people (9%). By location, 15,215 patients (67.4%) were at home, and by age group, those in their 50s were the largest at 3,682 people (16.3%).

Regarding COVID-19 related transports, 2,157 confirmed cases, 3,537 suspected cases with symptoms such as high fever and cough, 2,734 cases with symptoms reported at schools or overseas arrivals, and 401 vaccination-related patients were transported to hospitals and isolation facilities, totaling 8,829 people.

Kim Young-il, head of the city’s Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Division, stated, “We will do our best to improve the quality of firefighting services for citizens by establishing policies through clear statistical management and analysis, ensuring that Gwangju Fire Department remains a reliable safety pillar always by the citizens’ side.”

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