By KHT Staff. Image via City Councilor Lin Chih-hung (林智鴻).
KAOHSIUNG — Nearly 5,900 calls to the city’s 119 emergency hotline were classified as having been made without cause last year, yet none resulted in a fine, City Councilor Lin Chih-hung (林智鴻) said during questioning Thursday.
Lin said one landline called the fire and ambulance hotline more than 1,100 times in the first six months of this year, averaging about six calls a day. The eight numbers responsible for the most invalid calls made a combined 2,387 calls during that period, according to Fire Bureau figures he cited.
A city audit report found that the hotline received an average of about 404 invalid calls a day in 2025. It counted 2,902 malicious or harassing calls over the year, the highest figure in five years. The auditors also found that other government agencies had used 119 for routine inquiries.
Lin called for the Fire Bureau to investigate repeat callers and coordinate with police, health and social welfare agencies. Invalid calls are not necessarily malicious or grounds for a fine, but Lin questioned why the city had issued none for calls classified as made without cause. The audit report said the bureau had pledged to monitor misuse and handle violations under the law.
