EMERGENCY NUMBER UNKNOWN IN EUROPE
by Perro de Jong

Radio Netherlands
Feb 11 2009
Netherlands

The 112 emergency number is gaining ground, but not very
rapidly. Compared with last year, the number of Europeans who know
about it has risen by two percent.

Tjerk Terpstra, the Dutch ‘Mr 112’, says there is a lack of awareness
because many countries operate two different emergency numbers; 112
for tourists as well as the number they usually use. In the United
Kingdom, for example, this is 999.

If a British person abroad crashes their car into a tree, their first
instinct will be to dial 999, says Mr Terpstra. "First of all you
panic; you only think about it afterwards."

Campaign song

The Netherlands is one of the countries that has replaced its old
alarm number with 112, so virtually the entire population now knows
about it. But only a third are aware that you can also use it in
other European countries.

Mr Terpstra therefore thinks publicity is important. Last year he
received one of the first ‘112 Awards’ for the new emergency call
centre in the village of Driebergen, near Utrecht. According to
Brussels, it is the best in Europe.

This year, in addition to extra awards, there is even a special ‘112
Anthem’ created by Armenian-born Belgian singer Nara Noïan (listen
to the video below). The idea is that each country should organise
its own festivities, although up to now only Finland appears to be
doing so. But is any of this actually helping?

Listen to the 112 Anthem at
90211-emergency-112

‘Trouser-pocket callers’ Tjerk Terpstra thinks it would be more
effective to organise a good information campaign every year. In fact,
this is something all EU member countries are supposed to do.

He does think however, that the 112 Awards are a good way to
motivate the people working behind the scenes. Their job can often be
frustrating. All over Europe, from Turkey to Finland and from Ireland
to Poland, the majority of 112 emergency calls made turn out not to
relate to real emergencies.

They vary from innocent ‘trouser-pocket callers’, to heavy breathers
and second-hand mobile phone dealers who dial 112 to show that a
phone works without needing a SIM card.

Going bilingual "I have a lot of respect for emergency phone operators
who have to deal with endless prank calls for anything up to half an
hour on end," Mr Terpstra says. Yet, he still believes that blocking
emergency calls, as is done in a number of European countries, takes
things one step too far. In the Netherlands 40,000 real emergency calls
come in every year via pre-paid mobile phones, often from the elderly.

In the meantime, Brussels is now targeting a different problem:
language. According to the latest European research, 28 percent
of Europeans have difficulties using 112 because of the language
barrier. Ideally, the European Commission would therefore like to
see a small army of translators at the ready to handle calls in all
of the EU’s official languages.

Yet this is also not necessarily the answer, believes Mr Terpstra, who
currently advises the European Emergency Number Association. English,
French and German are enough. "Only sometimes you have one of those
Polish or Bulgarian truck drivers who only knows the odd word in
German. That’s a problem, of course."
–Boundary_(ID_K/wRisF8FNIpgiMbeWGa4 g)–