Fire Agency Expands Deployment of Medium 119 Ambulances... Optimizing Transport for Infectious Diseases, Critical Patients, and Pregnant Women

Secured Budget for 104 Units by 2023, Deployment of at Least One Unit in Every Fire Station by 2026

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency announced on the 7th that it plans to expand the deployment of 104 medium-sized 15-passenger ambulances nationwide by 2023. The goal is to provide advanced professional emergency services by placing at least one ambulance in all 226 fire stations nationwide by 2026.

Currently, the 12-passenger small ambulances operating in Korea (1,543 out of 1,568 vehicles, 98.4%) have narrow patient compartments, and the paramedic seats are positioned diagonally rather than behind the patient bed, causing inconvenience for specialized emergency treatment for critically ill patients, such as airway management. There have been continuous calls to enlarge the ambulance size so that paramedics can be positioned near the patient's head to facilitate professional airway management techniques.

In response, the National Fire Agency plans to expand the deployment of medium-sized ambulances nationwide to be used as ambulances for critically ill patients, while also increasing their versatility by adapting them for use as negative pressure ambulances and ambulances for pregnant women. The agency is striving to deploy at least one negative pressure medium-sized ambulance in all 226 fire stations nationwide by 2026. It has secured a budget of 11.96 billion KRW from lottery funds and citizen participation budgets, and plans to deploy 55 units in 2022 and 49 units in 2023 to fire stations across the country.

The medium-sized ambulance, based on a 15-passenger van, offers expanded space capable of carrying various specialized equipment, enabling advanced emergency treatments such as electrocardiogram measurement. It will serve as the basic ambulance for special emergency squads and will also be utilized as ambulances for pregnant women.

The larger ambulance will also be used as a negative pressure ambulance. The National Fire Agency plans to prioritize deploying the new medium-sized ambulances to 119 Safety Centers where two or more ambulances are stationed. In the long term, the agency intends to expand the medium-sized ambulance as the standard ambulance, while maintaining small ambulances in areas with narrow alleys to ensure appropriate emergency activities according to the situation and characteristics.

Baek Deok-gon, Director of the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Service Bureau, stated, “By utilizing the larger 15-passenger medium-sized ambulances, we can provide more professional and diverse emergency services. We will continue to expand the deployment of medium-sized ambulances nationwide to ensure that essential emergency services are available to the public whenever needed.”