Seoul City Strengthens COVID-19 Dedicated Ambulance Teams... Expanded to 30 Teams

by Lim Chulyoung

Published 03 Jan.2022 06:01(KST)

Expansion from 20 to 30 units
90 personnel with emergency medical technician qualifications to be deployed on-site with ambulances starting from the 5th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 3rd that it will expand the number of dedicated ambulance teams for transporting COVID-19 confirmed patients and those receiving home treatment from 20 teams to 30 teams.

This expansion of the COVID-19 dedicated ambulance teams is a measure following Mayor Oh Se-hoon's directive to strengthen emergency transport infrastructure amid the rapid increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases. Since the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the Seoul Fire Department's COVID-19 dedicated ambulance teams have played a central role in the quarantine system by providing emergency treatment and transport for confirmed patients.

The number of COVID-19 related patients transported by Seoul Fire Department ambulances to hospitals last year totaled approximately 48,000, an increase of more than 20,000 compared to about 27,000 in 2020.

In response to this increase in emergency transport, the Fire and Disaster Headquarters has been reinforcing its ambulance personnel and has prepared a plan to strengthen the emergency transport system by supplementing temporary staff to respond to the spread of COVID-19 variants. The newly recruited personnel total 90, consisting of 60 professionals qualified as Level 1 emergency medical technicians or nurses, and 30 individuals holding driver's licenses required for ambulance driving.

The ambulances deployed along with the personnel will utilize reserve vehicles. The 10 additional dedicated ambulance teams will be assigned to 10 fire stations across Seoul and will operate 24 hours a day in three shifts starting from the 5th.

Choi Tae-young, head of the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters, said, “Through the reinforcement of dedicated ambulance teams, Seoul Fire will be able to reach citizens struggling with COVID-19 more quickly,” and added, “The 119 ambulance teams will do their utmost to protect citizens as a key part of the quarantine system.”