Gwangju 119 Emergency Line Rang Every 108 Seconds...290,000 Calls Filed Last Year

Last year in Gwangju, a 119 emergency call was received once every 108 seconds. As seasonal disasters such as heavy downpours and heat waves continued, the annual number of calls exceeded 290,000.

According to the Gwangju Fire Safety Headquarters on the 15th, the number of 119 emergency calls received in the Gwangju area last year totaled 290,543. This corresponds to a daily average of 796 calls, an increase of 946 calls (0.3%) from the previous year.

By month, July had the highest number of calls with 34,798. This is analyzed as being due to a surge in reports of flood damage following localized heavy rainfall with cumulative precipitation of 500 mm or more.

By district, Buk-gu and Gwangsan-gu accounted for 44% of all calls. In terms of calls per population, Dong-gu, which has a high proportion of elderly people living alone and a high density of aging buildings, recorded the highest rate at 2,156 calls per 10,000 residents.

By type, there were 8,552 fire calls, 20,398 rescue calls, 72,395 emergency medical calls, 53,983 civil inquiry calls, 47,647 medical consultation calls, and 48,420 calls that went unanswered due to mistakes or misdials, among others.

Fire calls were concentrated in March, the dry season in spring, while rescue calls were highest in July, when heavy downpours occurred. Emergency medical calls were frequent in July and August, when cases of heat-related illness, dehydration, and cardiovascular emergencies increased, and in December, when hypothermia cases and year-end alcohol-related emergencies rose.