"119 Responds to Catch Cockroaches and Replace Showerheads," Appeal from an Active Firefighter

119 Ambulance. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A current firefighter has posted a plea asking people not to call 119 for issues that should be resolved personally, drawing sympathy from the public.

Identifying himself as an active firefighter, Mr. A shared his experiences on an online community on the 19th, stating, "I will just list what happened in one day."

Mr. A said, "We responded to a call reporting that someone's leg wouldn't move, but it turned out that a shoe heel was broken after the shoe got stuck in a drainage ditch," adding, "Then they asked to be driven home. I wonder if it’s really necessary to call 119 when there’s no injury."

He continued, "We responded to a report of water overflowing in a house, but it was due to a showerhead that wasn’t properly replaced, causing continuous leakage," and explained, "We shut off the water valve and replaced it. This is something that should have been handled by a hardware store, but the firefighters ended up doing it."

He also said, "There was a report of a strange animal making noise in a house," and "Upon arrival, it was a cockroach. We sprayed insecticide to catch it and ended up turning the whole house upside down."

He expressed frustration, saying, "Even though the callers know the situation, they shamelessly make these reports," and "Since we have to respond to every call, we have no choice but to resolve these issues."

Mr. A emphasized, "Please handle these kinds of problems yourselves," and warned, "If we keep responding to such calls, we won’t be able to help those who really need assistance in a timely manner."

Netizens who read the post responded with comments such as, "If it’s not an emergency, they should be charged for labor and dispatch costs," "I feel embarrassed just reading this," and "It’s amazing that all of this happened in one day."

Since the amendment to the 'Enforcement Decree of the Fire Services Act' took effect in January, false reports of fires or situations requiring rescue or emergency medical services can result in fines of up to 5 million won.