Jeonbuk Fire Department Plays Key Role as 119 Lifesaver During Chuseok Holiday

502 Emergency Medical Consultations per Day During Chuseok Holiday... 3.2 Times the Usual?

"Someone has collapsed! Meat is stuck in their throat!"

The Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters 119 Comprehensive Situation Room announced on the 3rd that during the Chuseok holiday period, they reinforced the emergency consultation team with 6 specialized personnel to ensure residents have a safe and healthy holiday, minimizing medical usage inconveniences and strengthening emergency situation management.

According to statistics from the Emergency Situation Management Center, during the five-day holiday period starting from the 28th, emergency medical consultations averaged 502 cases per day, totaling 2,512 cases. Compared to last Chuseok’s daily average of 590 cases and a total of 2,360 cases, the daily consultation count decreased by 15%.

By report type, there were ▲hospital/clinic guidance 1,735 ▲on-duty pharmacy inquiries 228 ▲emergency treatment instructions 353 ▲disease consultations 99 ▲medical guidance 97 cases. The consecutive reports represent a 314% increase in consultation cases compared to the usual 160 cases per day. This figure shows how the fire authorities effectively played the role of 'life protector' during the holiday period.

On the 13th, Jeonju Deokjin Fire Station conducted a fire safety campaign at Moraenae Market to ensure citizens' safety during the Chuseok holiday.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters]

In fact, at around 5:40 PM on the 29th, a 79-year-old woman, Ms. A, living in Songcheon-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju City, urgently called 119 while dining with her family, reporting that her airway was blocked.

The 119 consultation officer judged it as an emergency airway obstruction and instructed the Heimlich maneuver to open the airway, but the patient lost consciousness and collapsed.

Quickly, the officer guided the family to switch from the Heimlich maneuver to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the 119 paramedics who arrived on the scene promptly performed emergency treatment using rescue equipment and transported the patient to a nearby hospital emergency room, saving a precious life.

Even normally, 119 operates specialized consultation personnel 24 hours a day, year-round, to resolve residents’ medical inconveniences. They provide professional and effective emergency services through appropriate emergency medical information and emergency treatment guidance.

Fire Chief Joo Nak-dong stated, “Although various large and small incidents occurred throughout the province during this Chuseok holiday period, thanks to the residents’ high safety awareness and proactive response, we were able to quickly save patients in cardiac arrest and others.”