Oita Prefecture has become the first in Japan to centralize its emergency 119 call response at the prefecture level through a new fire and ambulance command center.
Its standardization of procedures — from receiving emergency calls to dispatching responders — is expected to significantly reduce response times.
The center, which began full-scale operations on Oct. 1, is housed in a multipurpose public facility in the city of Oita. It’s staffed by 49 personnel from the prefecture’s 14 fire departments. Of these, 42 serve as emergency dispatchers handling the 119 calls.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.