Deputy Fire Chief of Deokjin Fire Station Suspended for Personal Use of 119 Ambulance to Move Brother-in-Law

"Four employees involved in this case will also be disciplined according to the investigation results"

Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters announced on the 29th that it has dismissed the chief of the Jeonju Deokjin Fire Station in Jeonbuk for abusing his position to use a 119 ambulance for personal purposes.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Yoon Byung-heon, former chief of Deokjin Fire Station in Jeonju, who privately used a 119 ambulance to transfer his brother-in-law to a hospital in Seoul, has ultimately been dismissed from his position.

The Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters announced on the 29th that it would dismiss Yoon Byung-heon, former chief of Deokjin Fire Station in Jeonju, who caused controversy by abusing his position to privately use a 119 ambulance. Additionally, four employees involved in the incident will have their compliance with relevant regulations reviewed, and disciplinary actions will be taken based on the results.

Earlier, on the 20th of last month, Chief Yoon instructed his subordinates to transfer his brother-in-law, Mr. A, who was hospitalized at a hospital in Iksan, to a hospital in Seoul using a 119 ambulance, and the paramedics carried out the order.

It is known that Mr. A was transferred to a hospital in Iksan at 6:57 a.m. on the 17th of last month due to cardiac arrest and was receiving treatment there.

Chief Yoon gave the transfer order by abusing his position after receiving a request from Mr. A’s family, who said they wanted him to receive treatment again at a hospital in Seoul where he had previously been treated. Although transfers outside the patient’s region require comprehensive judgment including a doctor’s opinion, Chief Yoon did not follow the fire department’s manual.

It was revealed that the paramedics created a fictitious patient to use the 119 ambulance in order to carry out Chief Yoon’s order. They requested dispatch from the control center as if there was an emergency, then canceled it citing “transfer refusal.” Furthermore, there is evidence that the 119 ambulance operation log was falsified to conceal the fact that Mr. A was transferred to Seoul.

The Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters stated, “We plan to conduct enhanced public service ethics training for fire commanders to prevent similar incidents from recurring,” and added, “We will strive to strengthen self-regulation capabilities to establish a proper ambulance dispatch system.”

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