Nonsan 119 Rescues Elderly Patient After Garbled Call

A 119 call made with a barely audible voice, ending abruptly, led to the rescue of an elderly patient in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, thanks to the ingenuity of firefighters on the 31st of last month. At approximately 2:30 AM that day, a call was received in the Hwangsan-ri area of Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si, South Chungcheong Province, without a specified address. The caller, however, could only utter "Come quickly" before communication was lost. Despite attempts by the 119 comprehensive situation room to re-establish contact and location tracking via cell towers, pinpointing the exact address proved difficult.

At this point, Fire Captain Lee Se-hwa replayed the call recording and detected a faint voice saying, "My blood pressure is dropping." Based on the caller's phone number, Captain Lee contacted nearby hospitals to check their medical records. With the cooperation of the hospital, the fire department confirmed the existence of a prior medical record and obtained the patient's home address, relaying it to the on-site emergency response team.

Arriving at the scene approximately 30 minutes after the call was received, the emergency crew discovered the patient collapsed inside the residence. The patient was conscious but experiencing severe dizziness, rendering them unable to move independently. After receiving emergency treatment at the scene, the patient was transported to the hospital.

Captain Lee explained that it is advantageous for rescue efforts if individuals who live alone and experience medical emergencies leave their front door unlocked while they are still conscious. He also added that even if it's difficult to state the exact street address, providing simple information such as the name of an apartment complex or nearby buildings can greatly assist in a swift response.