'Chungnam 119 Call Bell Rang Every 43 Seconds'

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Last year, 119 emergency calls in Chungnam were received every 43 seconds. The average daily number of cases handled was recorded as 1,994.

According to the Chungnam Fire Headquarters on the 21st, a total of 727,969 calls were received at the Chungnam 119 Integrated Situation Room last year. This is an increase of 3,029 calls compared to 2021, meaning that, arithmetically, the emergency call bell rang every 43 seconds over the past year.

By type, ambulance calls were the most frequent with 152,550 cases, followed by rescue calls at 41,564, and fire calls at 33,431.

By quarter, calls were concentrated between July and September (228,322 cases, 31.2%), a period marked by abnormal weather such as heavy rain and heatwaves. Conversely, the period with the fewest calls was January to March (160,248 cases, 22%).

Regarding last year’s call reception status by fire station, Cheonan Seobuk Fire Station received the most calls with 57,762, followed by Asan Fire Station with 50,467, and Dangjin Fire Station with 38,544.

Notably, calls related to COVID-19 consultations surged by 3,300% from 452 in 2021 to 15,219 last year. This increase is analyzed to be due to the easing of social distancing and the rise in various medical consultations related to home treatment.

Meanwhile, prank calls decreased by 41.5%, from 77 cases in 2021 to 45 last year.

Park Chang-woo, head of the Chungnam Fire Headquarters 119 Integrated Situation Room, said, “We will analyze last year’s call reception data and strive to provide high-quality fire services this year as well,” adding, “We also ask for the active cooperation of citizens in establishing a proper 119 call culture.”

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