The government Friday called for establishing an effective emergency rescue system as the number of ambulance dispatches topped 5 million for the first time in 2004, exposing potential problems for the swift transfer of the sick and injured during major disasters.

A white paper presented by Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Heizo Takenaka and approved by the Cabinet says ambulances were dispatched a record 5.03 million times in 2004, amid an increase in elderly living alone and other social factors.

Although dispatches have increased 65 percent since 1994, the number of emergency crews grew by only 9 percent during the same period. As a result, the number of cases per emergency team increased, with the average time needed to get to rescue scenes prolonged, the report notes.

Because the number of ambulance dispatches is expected to continue rising, the report says providing care for the sick and injured may be obstructed in certain areas.

The government is consulting with the Fire and Disaster Management Agency on using private transportation companies or imposing fees on dispatches of ambulances in minor emergencies.

The report also calls for introducing a satellite-based disaster warning system named J-Alert announced by the internal affairs ministry in May that can instantly transmit the government's information on earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters to municipal governments.

Meanwhile, the report says there were 60,387 fire cases in 2004, up 7.2 percent from the previous year. Arson topped the list of causes for the eighth consecutive year, at 13.6 percent.

As of April 1, there were 156,082 professional firefighters, a slight increase from the previous year, but the number of volunteer firefighters fell 1.2 percent to 908,043.