Ministry of Interior and Safety selects heat-relief shelters, 119 heatwave paramedic units and AI-based illness forecast service as innovative public services

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[123RF]

The Ministry of Interior and Safety announced Wednesday that it has designated three programs — cooling shelters, the 119 heatwave paramedic service and an AI-based heat illness forecast service — as featured innovative public services under its "Let Us Tell You" campaign for the summer season.

The cooling shelters, operating at administrative welfare centers, libraries and financial institutions nationwide, are free and open to all, with extended hours when a heat advisory is in effect.

"Smart shelters" modeled on book cafes — offering reading materials and rest areas — are also available in parks near residential neighborhoods to make the service more accessible to local residents.

The nearest cooling shelter can be found by searching "무더위쉼터" on the Safe-Step app or on map applications including Naver Maps, Kakao Maps and T map.

The fire department's 119 heatwave paramedic units provide around-the-clock consultation and emergency treatment for heat-related illness. Ambulances and fire trucks are equipped with ice vests, ice packs and other first-aid gear, enabling crews to lower a patient's body temperature on the scene immediately.

Even in non-emergency situations, anyone experiencing symptoms such as dizziness or muscle cramps can receive 24-hour medical consultation and hospital referrals by phone, text message or the 119 emergency app.

The heat illness forecast service was developed jointly by the Korea Meteorological Administration and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) to reduce health damage from extreme heat. It uses an AI model trained on 11 years of weather data and heat illness statistics, classifying the risk of heat illness into four levels for the current day through three days ahead.

The forecast is designed for use both at medical facilities and in everyday life. Heat illness risk information will be available through the Korea Meteorological Administration's weather portal "Weathernuri" and the KDCA's integrated health hazard information system through the end of September.

More details on the "Let Us Tell You" innovative services campaign are available on the government innovation website "Innovation24" and on official social media channels including YouTube and Instagram.

Lee Byeong-cheol, director general of the ministry's participatory innovation bureau, said extreme heat is "a representative climate disaster that threatens the health and lives of the public." He added that he hopes the campaign helps people stay safe this summer, and that the ministry will continue to identify and actively promote services closely tied to daily life.


thlee@heraldcorp.com