Gyeonggi-do Fire Department, 2.54 Million 119 Calls Last Year... Highest Nationwide

Panoramic View of the Comprehensive Situation Room at Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Last year, the total number of 119 emergency calls received by Gyeonggi-do Fire Department reached 2.54 million, marking the highest nationwide.

According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 8th, the number of 119 calls received in Gyeonggi-do last year was 2,530,744, an increase of 4.8% (116,482 calls) compared to 2,414,262 calls in 2021. This averages to 6,934 calls per day, or 4.8 calls per minute.

Dispatch calls for fire, rescue, and emergency medical services totaled 1,099,731 last year, up 15.1% (144,397 calls) from 955,334 in 2021. Conversely, non-dispatch calls such as referrals to related agencies and information inquiries decreased by 1.9% (27,915 calls) to 1,431,013 in 2022 from 1,458,928 in 2021.

Among dispatch calls, fire reports increased by 14.2% (15,720 calls) from 110,458 in 2021 to 126,178 in 2022; rescue reports rose by 10.1% (18,246 calls) from 180,481 to 198,727; and emergency medical calls grew by 16.9% (108,370 calls) from 642,179 to 750,549.

Within non-dispatch calls, referrals and information inquiries to related agencies surged by 19.5% (126,624 calls) from 650,197 in 2021 to 776,821 in 2022. However, misdials and no-response calls decreased by 26.8% (174,020 calls) from 649,003 to 474,983.

Meanwhile, the number of 119 emergency medical consultations has been increasing significantly each year.

The number of emergency medical consultations handled was 206,442 in 2020, 251,260 in 2021, and 358,518 in 2022, showing steady growth annually.

Cho Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, "We plan to utilize detailed analyses of the timing and regional characteristics of 119 calls to establish fire safety policies and improve on-site response capabilities. Gyeonggi-do Fire Department will continue to do its best this year to realize a safe Gyeonggi-do and a warm 119 service."