Jeonnam Fire Department Adds Negative Pressure Ambulances and More to Island Area 119 Stations

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Fire Headquarters (Chief Ma Jaeyoon) will additionally deploy ambulance teams to island area 119 regional units to protect the lives of residents and secure the golden time.

Jeonnam Fire announced on the 18th that it will establish a more detailed 119 ambulance service network by additionally deploying 10 ambulance teams to 119 regional units in rural fishing villages, including Yeosu Nam-myeon, Wando Cheongsan, Jindo Jodo, and Sinan Ha-ui.

The areas where ambulance teams will be additionally deployed were previously regions where fire squads responded from 119 safety centers when ambulance situations occurred, so now residents will receive ambulance services from a closer distance. It is expected that the quality of ambulance services, such as the survival rate of cardiac arrest patients, will greatly improve.

In addition, to ensure rapid and safe transport of infectious disease patients such as COVID-19, one additional negative pressure special ambulance will be purchased and deployed to block the spread of infectious diseases in the community, in addition to the 24 negative pressure stretchers already deployed.

Jeonnam Fire has been striving to secure the ‘golden time’ in rural fishing villages with weak medical services by deploying and operating ambulance teams considering the regional conditions and population density of Jeonnam, which has many islands and mountainous areas.

As a result, it showed the highest nationwide increase rate (33%) in the survival rate of cardiac arrest patients over the past five years. With this additional deployment, Jeonnam Fire will operate 120 ambulance teams.

Chief Ma Jaeyoon said, “With the additional deployment of rural fishing village 119 ambulance teams and negative pressure special ambulances, we will provide professional ambulance services from a closer distance,” and added, “In line with Jeonnam Province’s hosting of the Korea Islands Promotion Agency, we will provide the best fire services to island residents as well.”