VIDEO CALL HELPS EXTINGUISHING FIRE

[Anchor Lead]

When a fire breaks out in a household, calling the rescue service and using a personal fire extinguisher to stop the flames from spreading is the first step. However, it's easier said than done. One teenager was able to prevent a tragedy when a fire broke out in her home by making a video call to a fire station and putting out flames with a household extinguisher.

[Pkg]

An apartment kitchen is engulfed by flames. In no time, smoke spreads to the living room. The fire caused by a gas leak broke out late at night when two teenage girls were cooking at home while their parents were away. The older of the two sisters rushed to call the rescue service. The firefighter who received her call told her to turn on the video call feature and look for a fire extinguisher in the living room.

[Soundbite] "Hello? (I don't know how to use it.) Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher?"

The firefighter used his hand gestures to show the girl how to use a household extinguisher.

[Soundbite] (Firefighter) : "Look at me. Grab the hose and press like this."

Following the firefighter's instructions, the girl managed to put out the flames before fire trucks arrived. The fire was extinguished within five minutes, a critical marker as that's enough time for someone to suffocate from toxic gases.

[Soundbite] Lee Hak-mun(Chungbuk Fire Service HQs) : "I tried to help her calm down and switch on the video call. She followed our instructions well and managed to extinguish the fire quickly."

Earlier this month, an apartment resident in Chungcheongbuk-do Province also put out a fire in her home using a household extinguisher with the help of a video call with a fire station. The video call service was introduced at fire stations ten years ago. But it's only available on Android phones and is used in just 3 percent of all reported cases. Early next year, the National Fire Agency plans to expand the service to iPhones as well so that more people can utilize video calls in times of emergency.