The Korea Fire Agency announced on the 7th that 27 people survived last year thanks to a doctor on board the fire helicopter. According to the Korea Fire Agency, this was made possible because the doctor provided initial responses such as emergency treatment to critically ill patients while onboard the fire helicopter.
According to the Korea Fire Agency, the operations of fire helicopters with doctors onboard increased by 55%, from 20 cases in 2023 to 31 cases last year. During the same period, the total number of patients transported rose by 113%, from 15 to 32. The survival rate increased by 9.3 percentage points, from 75% to 84.3%.
The Korea Fire Agency has been expanding the operational areas of fire helicopters with doctors onboard, starting from northern Gyeonggi Province in 2023. Park Yong-joo, head of the Emergency Response Capability Development Team at the Korea Fire Agency, noted, "We are contributing to saving the lives of critically ill patients who require long-distance transport," adding, "We will improve accessibility in medically underserved areas."