'Help me': Emergency dispatcher clings to desperate words to find and rescue woman in mortal danger
The persistent efforts of a young firefighter and the cooperation of police officials, emergency operators and regional government officials in South Chungcheong Province managed to save a woman from taking her life, rescue authorities in the region said Monday.
The 119 emergency operators of the Chungnam Fire and Rescue Service received a call on April 2 at 8:57 p.m. from a woman pleading for help. A 31-year-old senior firefighter with the surname Kim, who was on the job, asked for her location and current situation, to which she only repeated, "Help me."
With not much to go on about the situation, Kim tracked the caller's phone and searched surveillance footage in the area in which she was presumed to be. Her signal was coming from near a parking lot in Yesan-gun, South Chungcheong Province, but Kim failed to find her there.
He then called officials in Yesan-gun and asked them to adjust surveillance cameras to cover various angles, since the 119 emergency operators had the authority to watch the footage but not move the cameras. The caller's car was then identified nearby the parking lot by the faint light thought to be from a phone.
Kim asked the caller to turn on the car's emergency lights. When she complied, rescuers were able to pinpoint her exact location. Kim requested the help of police, who arrived on site to her rescue.
It took about 10 minutes from the beginning of the call to the rescue.
It was found that the caller was a woman in her 50s who had been attempting to take her own life inside the car. She had difficulty moving or talking due to self-inflicted injuries in the suicide attempt.
The victim was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Officials at the 119 emergency headquarters of the Chungnam Fire and Rescue Service said Kim's quick thinking and appropriate measures, along with cooperation from police and Yesan-gun officials, allowed them to save a life, vowing to boost cooperative efforts between the agencies to respond to future similar emergency situations.
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If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, dial the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please request a translator for English-language services.
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