Last Year’s Surge in ‘Suicide Dispatches’... Ulsan Fire Department Analyzes Rescue Operations

27,000 Dispatches: Spring → Fires, Summer → Beehive Removal

Autumn → Mountain Accidents, Winter → Fire Alarm Malfunctions

44.4% Increase Compared to 10-Year Average, Suicide Dispatches Up 47%

How many citizens did Ulsan's '119' rescue in a year? According to an investigation, they succeeded in rescuing more than 5 people per day on average last year, and there was a sharp increase in 'suicide-related dispatches.'

The Ulsan Fire Headquarters (Chief Lee Jae-sun) analyzed the rescue activity status for 2022 and found that a total of 27,048 dispatches were made. Among these dispatches, 20,821 cases were handled, and 1,985 lives were saved.

This translates to an average of 74.1 dispatches per day, 57 cases handled, and 5.4 people rescued. Compared to the average annual dispatch number of 18,737 over the past 10 years, this represents a 44.4% increase.

Based on nationwide city and province data, Ulsan's rescue dispatch rate was 2.26%, with 27,048 cases out of 1,199,183 nationwide (ranked 13th nationwide), and 1 dispatch per 41.1 people in population (ranked 10th nationwide).

By season, summer accounted for 9,672 cases (35.7%), autumn 6,991 cases (25.9%), spring 5,312 cases (19.6%), and winter 5,073 cases (18.8%). The main causes of dispatches were fires in spring, removal of beehives in summer, mountain accidents in autumn, and false fire alarm dispatches in winter.

By type of incident, fires accounted for 5,350 cases (19.8%), beehive removals 4,054 cases (15%), fire confirmations 3,079 cases (11.4%), and traffic accidents 1,928 cases (7.1%), among others.

By location, rescue dispatches occurred most frequently in residential areas (apartment complexes) with 6,657 cases (24.4%), roads with 4,164 cases (15.4%), and factories/warehouses with 2,070 cases (7.7%).

Because Ulsan has many industrial complexes and mountains, the proportion of dispatches to factories (7.7%) and mountainous areas (4.4%) was higher compared to other cities and provinces.

Additionally, the statistics showed that suicide-related dispatches numbered 828 cases, a 47.6% increase (561 cases) from the previous year, which is attributed to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic’s economic downturn and COVID-related depression.

Chief Lee Jae-sun of the Fire Headquarters stated, “Through statistical analysis of rescue activities, we will provide high-quality fire services to citizens by predicting disasters for proactive response and strengthening the on-site capabilities of rescue personnel.”

Ulsan Fire Department Headquarters.

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