SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Fire Agency plans to introduce special Korean-styled 119 negative pressure ambulances in the latter half of this year.
The special ambulances will be available for both patients with infectious diseases like COVID-19 and general patients.
Existing negative pressure ambulances are designed to maintain a state of negative pressure constantly when they in use, causing the passengers on board to suffer from dizziness and headaches.
To prevent viruses and bacteria from spreading outside of the ambulance, the internal atmospheric pressure is lowered automatically when they are started, resulting in a decrease in oxygen density.
To address such issues, the new negative pressure ambulances will be mounted with an oxygen density surveillance system and an automatic air ventilation system.
When the oxygen density within the vehicle drops to less than 18 percent, the internal air will be automatically ventilated to ensure the oxygen density is maintained at an appropriate level of 18 to 19.5 percent.
Furthermore, the ambulances will have a button that enables manual adjustment of the negative-pressure system.
Rescue workers will be able to choose whether or not to operate the negative pressure system depending on the type of patient being transported.
Image Credit: Yonhap / Busan Fire Department / photonews@koreabizwire.com
