The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters has established and will implement heatwave countermeasures, including operating the '119 Heatwave Ambulance Team' from May to September.
The 119 Heatwave Ambulance Team is an ambulance equipped with nine types of heatwave preparedness items such as ice vests and packs, thermometers, saline intravenous injection sets, salt, electrolyte solutions, and water sprays. The Fire and Disaster Headquarters has prepared a total of 281 vehicles across 35 fire stations in the province.
Additionally, to ensure immediate dispatch to the scene when ambulances are unavailable, 260 fire pump trucks will be equipped with emergency medical equipment.
Along with this, the 119 Comprehensive Situation Room of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters will provide emergency medical consultation upon heat-related illness reports, guide initial emergency treatment methods before the ambulance arrives at the scene, assist in directing patients to hospitals capable of treating heat-related illnesses, and strengthen medical guidance counseling functions such as informing about designated and operating heatwave shelters within the province.
Jo Sun-ho, head of the Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, "We have already conducted various training sessions to enhance the emergency treatment capabilities of heat-related illness patients for ambulance and pump ambulance personnel," adding, "We will do our best to protect the safety of residents from heatwaves."
Meanwhile, the number of heat-related illness cases in Gyeonggi-do last year was 683, an increase of 93.5% (330 cases) compared to 353 cases in 2022. The number of heatwave-related dispatches also rose from 167 cases in 2021 to 555 cases in 2023, and the number of transported patients increased from 148 in 2021 to 479 in 2023, showing an upward trend.
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