▲ Fire Headquarters' 119 Interpretation Volunteer Appointment Ceremony and Meeting for the First Half of 2026

The Chungnam Fire Headquarters held the '119 Foreign Language Interpretation Volunteer Appointment Ceremony and Meeting for the First Half of 2026' in the small conference room of the provincial office on the 18th to strengthen customized fire services for foreigners residing in or visiting the province.

Around 20 people attended this event, including newly appointed interpretation volunteers, existing volunteers, and fire service officials.

On this day, the provincial Fire Headquarters appointed 3 new interpretation volunteers, expanding the number of supported languages from the existing 13 to 15 by adding Mongolian and Sinhalese (Sri Lankan).

During the subsequent meeting, they shared the current status of 119 report support for foreigners and discussed measures to strengthen the multilingual interpretation support system.

They also agreed to establish a prompt and efficient interpretation support system by sharing difficulties and improvement plans that arise during the three-way call interpretation support process through regular meetings in the future.

According to the provincial Fire Headquarters, over the past five years, interpretation volunteers have contributed to building a safety net for foreigners by supporting interpretations for over 400 foreign language reports using 13 languages.

For instance, at a mountain accident scene in Chubu-myeon, Geumsan-gun this January, they aided in life-saving rescue efforts by supporting communication with a Vietnamese caller, thereby quickly assessing the accident's location and situation.

Additionally, in March in Deuksan-dong, Asan-si, interpretation support for a Vietnamese pregnant woman experiencing severe abdominal pain accurately conveyed the patient's condition and assisted in a swift transfer to the hospital, playing a crucial role in securing the golden hour.

As the importance of ensuring the safety of foreign residents grows alongside the increasing number of foreign residents in the province, the provincial Fire Headquarters plans to further strengthen multilingual interpretation support and customized fire services.

Seong Ho-seon, Head of the Chungnam Fire Headquarters, stated, "Through regular communication and cooperation, we will further strengthen the organic cooperative system with interpretation volunteers," adding, "We will do our best to create an environment where foreigners can use 119 with peace of mind."

Meanwhile, to supplement the existing support system centered on interpretation volunteers, the provincial Fire Headquarters is also operating an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based multilingual interpretation system.

This system allows 24-hour interpretation support even during vulnerable hours such as nighttime, and it minimizes the language support gap for foreign callers by expanding its response range to include Indonesian, German, Italian, and French, which are not covered by volunteers.

Responsible Department: 119 General Situation Room, Fire Headquarters

Phone Number: 041-635-5661