119 Call with Silent Taps on the Receiver... Firefighters Quickly Rescued

The heroic actions of a firefighter who saved a 119 caller silently tapping the receiver with precise judgment and swift response have been revealed belatedly.

119 Ambulance [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Fire Headquarters on the 19th, a call was received at the 119 comprehensive situation room around 4:50 a.m. on the 14th.

The caller said nothing and only tapped the receiver 'tok tok tok tok tok.' Fire Lieutenant Choi Jangheon (45), who answered the call, asked the caller, "This is the 119 situation room. Do you need 119 assistance?" but received no response.

He then asked, "Are you unable to speak?" and only then did the caller tap the receiver 'tok tok.' Lieutenant Choi immediately identified the caller's location through the 119 location information system and dispatched an ambulance. He also guided the caller to send the exact address via text message and passed the received address to the dispatched paramedics.

About 10 minutes after the call, paramedics from the Pohang Nambu Fire Station arrived, rescued the caller, and transported them to the hospital. The caller, a man in his 60s identified as Mr. A, was confirmed to have a history of laryngeal cancer surgery.

Park Chimin, head of the 119 comprehensive situation room, stated, "The calm response and swift action of the situation room staff saved a resident." Lieutenant Choi said, "I just followed the manual," adding, "I will continue to handle 119 calls more carefully to ensure that even the smallest signals are not missed."

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