Daejeon Fire Department: "Last Year, an Average of 232 Calls to 119 per Day"

80,550 Dispatches
55,660 Transported Patients
Paramedics Dispatched Every 6 Minutes

Last year in Daejeon, an average of 232 people per day requested 119 ambulance services. This means that 119 paramedics responded to the scene once every six minutes at the citizens' request.

According to the Daejeon Fire Headquarters on the 11th, the total number of 119 ambulance dispatches in the jurisdiction last year was 84,550, with 55,660 people transported.

A Daejeon Fire Department 119 paramedic is conducting treatment training for a pediatric cardiac arrest patient. Provided by Daejeon Fire Department Headquarters

By patient type, diseases such as acute cardiac arrest accounted for the largest number at 39,139 (70.3%), followed by accident injuries at 8,317 (14.9%) and traffic accidents at 3,676 (6.6%).

By age group, those aged 80 and above numbered 9,851 (17.7%), followed by those in their 60s at 9,761 (17.5%) and those in their 70s at 9,750 (17.5%).

The locations where 119 ambulance services were requested were primarily homes at 64.5% (35,925 cases), roads and other traffic areas at 16.1% (8,984 cases), and commercial facilities at 5.7% (3,183 cases). Notably, ambulance transports related to safety accidents in residential facilities accounted for more than half of all dispatches.

By period, August had the highest number of dispatches at 5,279 (9.6%), followed by May with 4,937 (8.9%) and July with 4,850 (8.8%).

The Daejeon Fire Department expects the number of 119 ambulance service requests and dispatches to steadily increase due to factors such as the aging population.

For example, the number of ambulance dispatches last year increased by 37.4% compared to 10 years ago (61,531 cases in 2013) and by 9.7% compared to 5 years ago (77,066 cases in 2018).

Kang Dae-hoon, head of the Daejeon Fire Headquarters, said, “This year, Daejeon Fire plans to add two more ambulances to respond to the increasing demand for 119 ambulance services,” and added, “We ask that non-emergency patients refrain from using ambulances to ensure prompt emergency treatment and hospital transport for emergency patients.”