Last year, fire and rescue calls decreased compared to the previous year, but rescue activities increased. Analysis indicates this is due to an increase in rescue calls from unusual weather conditions, including the longest tropical nights lasting 72 days.
The Korean National Fire Agency reported on the 21st that the total number of fire, rescue, and emergency response activities last year was 4,687,701. This is a decrease of 3.2% (154,292 calls) compared to the previous year (4,834,993 calls).
By type, fires last year numbered 37,614, a 3.2% decrease compared to the previous year. During the same period, emergency activities also decreased by 4.7% to 3,324,294.
According to the Korean National Fire Agency, the number of fires has been decreasing every year due to a reduction in forest fires over the past three years. Additionally, the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the promotion of proper 119 ambulance usage culture have also led to a downward trend in emergency activities.
Last year, the total number of casualties from fire incidents was 2,391, a decrease of 3.5% compared to the previous year. However, fatalities increased by 7.1% to 303, while injuries decreased by 4.8% to 2,088. This is influenced by the fire incident at the Arisel facility in Hwaseong, where 23 people died last year.
The leading cause of fire incidents was negligence, accounting for 18,198 cases, or 47%. Chemical factors indicating battery-related fires (962 cases) increased by 31.4% from the previous year, marking the largest increase. This corresponds to the rise in fires involving electric bicycles and electric scooters.
In contrast, rescue calls totaled 1,318,793, an increase of 0.7%. Last year, rescue calls had already increased by 9.21% compared to the previous year. The Korean National Fire Agency stated that this rise is attributed to unusual weather conditions, including record heat.
Regarding rescue activities, the number of cases handled by the fire department was 887,150, a 35.8% increase from the previous year. However, the number of rescued individuals decreased by 2.4% to 117,771. The Korean National Fire Agency analyzed that this is due to a rise in rescue activities with fewer rescue situations such as removing beehives.
Last year, the fire department transported a total of 1,807,505 individuals through emergency activities, averaging about 1,090 people per day, which is a decrease of 11.2% from the previous year. The age group of the transported patients showed that those aged 60 and older comprised the largest portion at 56.8%.
Park Geun-o, director of the Korean National Fire Agency's 119 Response Bureau, noted, "As evident from fire activities, there is a need for a systematic strategy to respond to unusual weather and new risk factors," adding, "We will establish scientific countermeasures."