The single emergency phone number appeared last year, and in theory, every European should have become so accustomed to it that they could repeat it even half asleep (and it is also useful for tourists from outside the EU). Nevertheless, this did not happen, so the emergency number recently had to be reminded by none other than the European Commissioner for Telecommunications, Viviane Reding.
“Millions of EU residents who will go on vacation this summer should remember the single emergency phone number - 112. It is already available throughout the European Union, with the exception of one country. I strongly urge all states to implement a system for determining the location of the caller, which will allow rescue services to reach accident victims faster. I also expect the Bulgarian authorities to complete the deployment of the emergency number 112 throughout the country as soon as possible,” the European Commissioner said in her address to the media.
Unfortunately, the results of sociological studies show that only 22% of Europeans are aware that the single emergency number operates throughout the EU. The situation is even worse with tourists from outside the Community – barely 15% of them know about the existence of the rescue phone. Therefore, the European Commission asks member states to actively promote it among the population. On a specially created website ec.europa.eu/112, you can find all the necessary information on how to use the number in different EU countries, how quickly they respond to a call, which languages are spoken, etc.
In most EU countries, help can be obtained quite quickly through the number 112. For example, studies have shown that operators in the Czech Republic, Spain and the United Kingdom answer 97% of calls within 20 seconds, while in the Netherlands and Finland, 71% of emergency calls are accepted within 10 seconds. In 17 EU countries, assistance can be sought in different languages, mainly English, but if necessary, you will be answered in Russian as well.
Rescue services in seven more European states can answer a call in the languages of neighboring countries. This experience, in particular, is present in Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Latvia, Hungary, and Slovenia. In some countries, there is a possibility of redirecting calls to other centers where staff speak the required language. Because the operator may not immediately understand which language the caller is using, help may be somewhat delayed. So it is worth learning at least one phrase in English, for example: “I need an operator who speaks Russian.”
There is another problem. In a number of EU states, the system for determining the location of the caller is still not operational – this greatly complicates the provision of assistance. For a whole year, the European Commission reminded that such a system should be implemented immediately, but now that the tourist season has begun, the cart is still there. Brussels intends to take more decisive measures.
The European Commission has launched a so-called “infringement procedure” against six countries: Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. In addition, nine countries do not meet the criterion of response speed to a call: Belgium, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – they too face trouble.
Nevertheless, most EU countries have managed to establish a single rescue phone system. Notably, Russia, which is not a member of the European Union, decided to join it as well: from August 1, 2008, the familiar numbers 01, 02, 03 will become a thing of the past, and only one number will remain – 112. So to everyone going on vacation, we wish a pleasant holiday: may this phone number never be needed, but it should not be forgotten.
Boris ALTNER.