"I can't walk." "I'm freezing to death."
In February, an urgent call came into the 119 emergency line in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. After hearing the report, the 119 rescue team immediately rushed to the scene.
But the rapid rescue effort was short-lived. The caller that firefighters encountered at the scene was not a patient in a life-threatening condition, but simply an intoxicated person.
A similar call came in on the 24th of last month at an apartment in Samcheok. The caller asked rescuers to open the door, saying, "My friend has fallen in the bathroom and is trapped." However, on-site inspection revealed that the person was not actually trapped in the bathroom but was intoxicated.
As non-emergency calls involving drunk individuals and routine door-opening requests continue to pile up, concerns are growing that the transport of actual emergency patients could be disrupted.
According to the Gangwon Fire Service Headquarters, a total of 3,671 calls related to intoxicated persons and lock-opening requests were recorded in Gangwon Province last year. That averages more than 300 calls per month.
The Gangwon Fire Service warned that such non-emergency calls could interfere with rescue dispatches for genuine emergency patients and asked the public to refrain from indiscriminate reporting.
To reduce dispatch gaps caused by non-emergency calls, the provincial fire headquarters operates the 119 Emergency Medical Situation Management Center around the clock. Patients with mild symptoms or those in non-emergency situations can receive guidance on illness consultations, first-aid methods, and information about hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies through 119.
"119 emergency dispatch is an urgent service for patients whose lives are in danger, so an increase in non-emergency calls can delay dispatch and transport for actual emergency patients," Oh Seung-hoon, head of the provincial fire headquarters, said on the 1st. "For minor symptoms, please first use the illness consultation or hospital, clinic, and pharmacy guidance services available through the 119 Emergency Medical Situation Management Center."
