Ulsan mobilizes full resources to protect elderly amid heat wave

Ulsan is mobilizing its full administrative resources to protect heat-vulnerable residents, strengthening customized elderly care and emergency safety services while extending cooling shelter hours at senior centers and providing additional disaster relief funding.

The city has conducted a comprehensive inspection of air conditioning systems at 758 heat shelters, including 743 senior centers and 15 elderly welfare centers across the city.

Sixty hub senior centers — one designated per township, town and neighborhood — will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., including weekends and public holidays, through next month. The hours represent a three-hour extension from the previous schedule, allowing elderly residents to escape the heat into the evening. Cooling costs will be covered through the city's disaster relief fund.

A total of 637 lifestyle support workers and other care personnel will be deployed to check on 9,137 elderly care recipients. Workers will visit or call each person at least once a day, and at least twice a day when a major heat alert is in effect, with high-risk individuals receiving priority attention.

Real-time heat wave information will be delivered through ICT devices installed as part of the emergency safety service in 6,542 households of elderly people living alone and people with disabilities. If no movement is detected for a set period, emergency response personnel will be dispatched immediately.

To protect elderly residents participating in outdoor job programs, all outdoor work will be suspended immediately when the daytime heat index reaches 35 degrees Celsius or above, with activities replaced by indoor safety education or working hours shortened. For public service activities, monthly working hours will be cut from 30 to 15.