EENA, the European Emergency Number Association, is a Brussels-based NGO set up in 1999 dedicated to promoting high-quality emergency services reached by the number 112 throughout the EU. EENA serves as a discussion platform for emergency services, public authorities, decision makers, associations and solution providers in view of improving emergency response in accordance with citizens' requirements. EENA is also promoting the establishment of an efficient system for alerting citizens about imminent or developing emergencies.

The EENA memberships include about 800 emergency services representatives from 43 European countries, 60 solution providers, 9 international associations/organisations as well as 26 Members of the European Parliament.

EENA - A high-level meeting to discuss the status and prospects of the European emergency number 112 was held today at the European Commission. Raed Arafat, Secretary of State for Health (Romania), Cristian Silviu Busoi, Member of the European Parliament, Claudiu Zoicas, Counselor at Romania's Permanent Delegation to NATO and EENA representatives met Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission.

Kenya - A civil society activist has moved to court to compel the police to restore emergency number '999' to enable the public efficiently report crime. Okiya Omtatah argues that lack of the emergency numbers is one of the main factors to blame for the rising cases of insecurity in the country. In April, police said that they were in the process of strengthening existing communication lines particularly the hotlines as well revive the free emergency call line '999'.

EC - The European Commission is launching its Emergency Response Center (ERC) on Wednesday, which will provide a better coordinated, faster and more efficient European response to disasters in Europe and the world. The ERC will be operational on a 24/7 basis, capable of dealing with up to three simultaneous emergencies in different time zones. It will receive and analyze appeals for assistance from affected countries and serve as a hub to support coordination at various levels: Commission, Member States, the affected country, humanitarian partners and civil protection teams deployed to the field.

India - India is set to have a single response number for emergencies such as fire, ambulance and police calls, on the lines of the '911' emergency number in the US and '112' across most European Union countries. According to recent discussions between government authorities, the new single emergency response system would include services to ascertain the location of a caller, with an accuracy of 50-100 metres. The location details would be made available by telecom service providers on a real-time basis.

Saudi Arabia - Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah will launch Tuesday the Ministry of Health Emergency Call Center (937), announced MOH spokesman Dr. Khalid Marghalani here on Monday. He said the center, which will be run centrally from the ministry headquarters, was established to promptly take action on any health emergency call from anywhere in the Kingdom.

UK - The "problematic" roll-out of the NHS 111 phone advice line has left patients not knowing where to turn to for help, leading doctors have warned. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said patients have lost confidence in the new non-emergency number before it is even fully up and running across the country. Patients have been complaining about calls going unanswered and poor advice being given, especially at weekends, which has led to hospitals being inundated with patients who could be treated elsewhere.

Italy - Initiated in Varese in 2010 in an internal 118 call-centre, the revolutionary reform of the single emergency number 112 has reached the ambulances in Milan on Monday. 112 civilian call-takers answer both 112 and 118 calls and are able to automatically pinpoint the caller location. The call-taker fills in a form with the name and reason of the call. If the reason does not concern the ambulance service, the call is transferred to police, carabinieri, firefighters or civil protection.

EENA - You are welcome to join the 112 Roundtable in Turkey, an event that will gather about 250-300 participants, including Turkish stakeholders as well as emergency services, European and national public authorities and industry representatives from all over Europe. The debate will allow Turkish stakeholders to discuss issues and challenges and to benefit from European best practices and international experience.

The registration deadline is 19 June.

South Africa - Thousands of 10111 emergency calls have not been logged or recorded for the past six months at the Durban 10111 call centre because equipment has been out of order. The Durban emergency call centre has come under fire for ignoring what they believed were hoax calls - but which were real cries for help - after a South Coast woman was ignored by police.

Sweden - Swedish emergency service operator SOS Alarm should be replaced by a state authority, according to a new proposal presented to Sweden's Defence Minister Karin Enström on Monday.

Summary of the Report 112 reform objectives in Sweden

A new authority for emergency services is proposed to be established on 1 January 2015 in Sweden. The proposal was made following an inquiry which analyzed the current status of the emergency services, including the emergency number 112 and SOS Alarm centers in order to ensure a secure and efficient system.

The proposal established a set of objectives:
• Strengthened national governance
• National authority for emergency services focused on genuine emergencies, responsible with receiving emergency calls on 112, evaluation of the need for assistance and alerting the rescue services. It will operate 5 or 7 centers
• Legislation on emergency services
• Monitoring and control

The emergency number 112 will continue to be the single public safety answering point for emergency calls in Sweden and it will be further restricted to urgent emergency calls. Further measures proposed include public information on emergency and information numbers and defining requirements for telecom companies.

The implementation cost of the emergency service authority is estimated to 550 million SEK.

EENA - You are warmly invited to discover the EU Emergency Services Workshop 2013 proceedings - presentations, videos and a set of pictures - of this year's conference & 112 Awards Ceremony which took place on 17-19 April in Riga.

Thank you to all our speakers, attendees and event sponsors for their contributions to our event! We trust it was a highly enjoyable experience.

FR - Do you know what number to dial din case of an emergency within the European Union? The answer is 112! MAAF has joined TF1 to offer "1001 Health Questions" a TV programme fighting stereotypes and delivering tips and practical advice to protect your health. Every Thursday at 20:35 on TF1 and on Friday at your Kiosk MAAF.

EENA - The 112 Awards Ceremony revealed its winners on 17 April 2013. 8 awardees from Croatia, Finland, France, Latvia, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania walked off with top honours rewarding their commitment to promote and improve the European emergency number 112. The 112 Awards Ceremony was a night to remember for the around 300 participants (emergency services representatives, international organisations, representatives of the European institutions, solution providers) who came to raise a glass and show their gratitude and support to the winners.

EC - On 3 April 2013, the European Commission has published the Delegated Regulation No 305/2013 supplementing the Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the harmonised provision for an interoperable EU-wide eCall. This Regulation establishes the specifications for the upgrading of the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) infrastructure required for the proper receipt and handling of eCalls, in order to ensure the compatibility, interoperability and continuity of the harmonised EU-wide eCall service. This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply to infrastructures deployed from the date of entry into force of this Regulation. It shall apply from 23 April 2014 to infrastructures already deployed at the date of entry into force of this Regulation.

USA - The emergency call centers are administrative ones where 911 calls are routed after having been received. The attacks are part of an extortion scheme, federal authorities say. Hundreds of emergency call centers nationwide have been hit with Internet-based phone-blocking attacks, part of a criminal extortion scheme that aims to clog the centers used to dispatch emergency services, according to federal law-enforcement authorities and cyber experts.

EENA - The EU Emergency Services Workshop 2013 (EUESW 2013) taking place on 17-19 April 2013 in Riga, Latvia, is now one month ahead. Until 29 March, you can still register and be amongst the representatives of emergency services, public authorities and industry from over 30 countries, attending the event. The EUESW 2013 is open to and free of charge for all EENA members and public authorities' staff.
For any question concerning registrations please contact us at lc@eena.org

EU - The European Commission is preparing a proposal aiming to equip all vehicles with the emergency call system, eCall, by 2015, says Agence Europe (19.03.13), recalling that in case of an accident, the eCall system is able to reach the emergency services immediately. "If eCall had been put in place in 2009 as planned, more than 10,000 lives could have been saved on European roads according to the European Commission estimations", states Jacob Bangsgaard, General Director of the Brussels office of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

Bulgaria - Bulgarian emergency care workers have called for the reintroduction of the emergency phone number for medical services 150. Desislava Katelieva, President of the Association of Emergency Service workers, told Darik radio Monday that the calls had been triggered by problems with the 112 common emergency phone number.

India - Public comments have been invited on making 100 (police) or 108 (fire) as the single number for the entire country for various emergencies like fire or medical or accidents. Releasing the consultation paper on "Universal Single Number Based Integrated Emergency Communication and Response System (IECRS), Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has sought comments if 100 or 108 should be set as the emergency number.

EENA Publication - The European Emergency Number Association (EENA) released an updated version of the Next Generation 112 Long Term Definition standard ("NG112 LTD"). The updates mark further moves towards facilitating interventions through data sharing and reaching 112 with voice, text, videos and pictures. The NG112 LTD document promotes a modern and efficient emergency calls management process and the use of global interoperability. The updated version reflects the changes to existing standards, specifications, methodologies and the updates which were made to NENA's i3 specification.

Belgium - The president of the Royal association of Belgian fire-fighters, commander Marc Gilbert, has presented the proposal made to the Minister of Interior in order to reduce expenditures.

Russia - Russian national operator Rostelecom, in cooperation with the administration of the Stavropol region, has launched the 112 emergency system in the Stavropol region. The pilot project is being carried out in Pyatigorsk city and the Georgiyevsk municipality. The full exploitation of the system is planned to start in April.

Ukraine - The creation of the 112 emergency phone system in Ukraine could be completed in three years if there is stable funding, the director of the state-owned Center for Civil Security 112, Tyberiy Bolvari, has said.

France - Less than a third of the French are able to perform emergency actions in case they witness a cardiac arrest or a domestic accident. This percentage is well afar from the 95% of the Norwegians and 80% of the Austrians who are able to take life-saving actions. In this respect, the Counsel for Strategic Analysis, subordinated to the Prime-minister made six proposals to improve the level of training of the general public.

UK - A social media campaign to cut the number of inappropriate 999 has been a success, according to West Midlands Police. The force launched a 24-hour tweetathon on 1 February, publishing details online of the calls staff were taking.

Greece - The European Commission Representation in Greece has produced a series of videos promoting 112. The videos based on the concept of an animated cartoon - the 112 hero - highlight that 112 is the number to call all over the EU for all emergencies (fire, ambulance and police).

UK - Tour operators are being urged to promote the 112 emergency number to holidaymakers. Dialling '112' from anywhere in the European Union links the caller to the relevant local emergency services. It is free of charge, open 24 hours a day and available in a range of languages.

UK - Today, on the occasion of European 112 Day, the GSMA announced that it is joining the Advisory Board of the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) to support efforts in advancing the success and quality of emergency services across Europe. The GSMA will work closely with public authorities and emergency service providers within the 112 service chain to ensure that advances in mobile technology continue to enhance this life-saving system.

EU - The European Commission and The European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations (ECTAA) are asking tour operators, travel agents to promote the pan-European emergency number '112' on their websites, on e-tickets, and at major tourist destinations.

EU - At European level, still only 1 out of 4 citizens are aware of 112 as the emergency number to dial all over the EU. Moreover, this figure has been stagnating for years and it varies significantly across European countries. Thus, more than 25 countries of Europe are organising awareness raising activities on the occasion of the European 112 Day 2013, observed on 11 February every year since 2009.

Bulgaria - Bulgaria's 112 emergency telephone number received 6,392,391 calls in 2012, with around 2,3 million of them being requests for help (real signals), announced the police.

EU - The HeERO newsletter is an annual publication of the HeERO (Harmonized eCall European Pilot) project consortium aimed at disseminating information about the status of the pre-deployment pilot projects of the EU-wide eCall. Enjoy your reading!

EU - The 112 Newsletter is a periodic EENA publication that provides an update on latest, ongoing and upcoming  EENA activities. Enjoy your reading!

USA - Big changes are coming to the city's problem-plagued 911 system. Mayor Bloomberg is putting the finishing touches on a package of fixes to his centerpiece, $2 billion project, which has become a financial and public-safety morass, The Post has learned.

France - The free movement of ambulances within the EU is hindered by France. The EU Commission has requested France to change its laws to comply with the harmonised standards agreed at EU level, and so allow the free movement of goods in the Single Market. If France does not inform the Commission within two months of measures taken to ensure full compliance with its obligations, the Commission may decide to refer it to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Romania - The "112" emergency number can now be used by deaf people too provided they have a videophone. The Labor Ministry, STS, ANCOM and several associations have signed a cooperation protocol in this regard, secretary of state Denisa Patrascu stated on Thursday for Mediafax.

HeERO 2 - 6 new countries, namely Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey, are meeting in Madrid to share common goals and further steps to successfully implement eCall, a service based on the common European Emergency number 112. This meeting marks the beginning of the second phase of HeERO (Harmonized eCall European Pilot), an international project that coordinates pilot sites in 19 countries working together to deploy the EU-wide eCall.

United States - Following a destructive windstorm (derecho) in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, when seventy-seven 9-1-1 call centres lost some degree of connectivity, the direction of Federal Communications and Homeland Security Bureau conducted an inquiry into the causes of the communications failures and ways to prevent them during future emergencies. The report includes an extensive review of confidential outage reports, public comments and related documents, as well as interviews of many service providers and PSAPs, equipment and backup power vendors, and public safety and community officials and recommendations of actions to ensure the reliability, resiliency, and availability of 9-1-1 communications networks.

Norway - Norwegian police in Oslo finally have their own response helicopter. The chopper will be able to assist officers within 15 minutes. Police were heavily criticised for their slow response a year and a half ago after the Utoya island massacre and the deadly bombing of government buildings.

 Publication of the EENA Survey on 'Public Warning Systems in Europe' (18/12/2012) (418KB)

EENA Publication - Public warning systems are needed to protect the lives of people in case of major emergency. This survey helps the EENA Operations Committee analysing and understanding the current situation of public warning in Europe and it also investigates future needs and plans. On top of sirens, TV and radio broadcast that have been widely used during the last 50 years, this survey highlights that public warning systems can deploy one technology or a mixture of technologies like Cell Broadcast and SMS as well.

UK - The London Fire Brigade is planning to take things a bit further by launching the world's first 999 emergency Twitter feed to monitor fires in the city. The news comes after LFB's recent publication of its Integrated Risk Management Plan which sets out how the fire and rescue service in London will be delivered over the next few years. The LFB says that it is looking into the use of social media, apps, and micro-blogging sites like Twitter, as tools for the future so that it can better respond to incidents.

Canada - Canada's telecom regulator is asking for the public's input on how to improve the 911 emergency service in light of changing technology. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Monday it will review the findings of the public consultation which asks for Canadians' input in the following areas: the performance and adequacy of the technology currently employed by 911 services, the issues related to the provision of 911 services on next-generation networks, policy considerations on 911 matters.

EENA Operations Committee - Being able to access the emergency services during a major threat can mean the difference between life and death for someone in danger. This publication stresses the importance of correcting and preventing call overload in case of major emergencies like extreme weather events, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, or multi-vehicle traffic accidents. As most European emergency services use different approaches to combat call overload, through this document, EENA aims to outline best practices and propose common recommendations and requirements.

EENA Operations Committee - This publication assembles crucial information on data gathering in each step of the emergency resolution and on launching correct procedures that lead to efficient and effective interventions. It also outlines some of the 'best practice' approaches in terms of sharing information and using common procedures from the authorities' perspective.

EUESW 2013 - EENA has released the first draft agenda of the EU Emergency Services Workshop 2013. Over 60 top speakers representing emergency services, public authorities and industry from all over Europe will showcase best practices at the EUESW 2013 on 17-19 April 2013, in Riga - Latvia. This year's workshop is developed around the concept of innovation, be it social media, NG112 or apps and focused on the EENA PSAP Certification, a Certification of Quality Assurance standard aiming to recognise and reward quality in the PSAP performance. The workshop is held in conjunction with the 112 Awards Ceremony.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Riga in 2013!

EENA Operations Committee - Based on a detailed analysis of the different types of costs incurred by a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or group of PSAPs, this publication proposes a framework aiming to assess PSAPs' cost efficiency, to benchmark their performance against other PSAPs and to identify potential areas of improvement.

EENA Publication - The European Emergency Number Association (EENA) has released the 'Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in Europe' publication, edition 2012. It provides an overview of the PSAPs structure in 27 EU countries plus Croatia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia and Turkey. This years' publication also includes information on national public warning systems, projects/reforms/upgrades of the PSAPs, technologies deployed and suppliers.

EC - The European Commission has adopted a measure to ensure that by 2015 your car can call emergency services for you in case of a crash. The Commission wants the life-saving eCall system to be fitted to all new models of cars and light vehicles from 2015. eCall automatically dials Europe's single emergency number 112 in the event of a serious accident and communicates the vehicle's location to the emergency services. According to some estimates, eCall could speed emergency response times by 40% in urban areas and 50% in the countryside, and save up to 2500 lives a year.

Turkey - Turkey's Interior Ministry is set to expand a program that makes it easier to contact emergency services in the country. The new program, which streamlines the process so that people can call one number - 112 - and connect to all emergency services, first started out as a pilot project in two provinces and will expand to 10 provinces by 2013.

Croatia - The annual 112 Roundtable, organised by EENA (the European Emergency Number Association) and the National Protection and Rescue Directorate (Croatia) on 16 November 2012 in Zagreb, gathered around 130 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It aimed at fostering the exchange of experiences between South East European countries on the single European emergency number 112, and sharing expert recommendations by representatives from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and EENA.

Ukraine - The unified emergency service may be developed in Belarus. The issue was discussed at the government session chaired by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on 15 November to discuss the reformation of the Interior Ministry, BelTA learnt from the presidential press service.

Croatia - The HeERO consortium organised the first HeERO International Conference on 15 November 2012 in Zagreb, and offered an exclusive insight on the intermediate results of the nine HeERO pilot sites, the outcomes of the interoperability testing and the recommendations for implementation of the eCall service in Europe.

EU - The 112 Newsletter is a periodic EENA publication that provides an update on latest, ongoing and upcoming EENA activities. Enjoy your reading!

The Netherlands - On 8 November 2012, NL-Alert, the new public warning system of the Netherlands, was launched nationwide! The presentation made by Aafke Schaapherder from the Ministry of Security and Justice during last EU Emergency Services Workshop is now available.

Hungary - Hungarian telecommunications company Invitel's bid was assessed as the best at a tender called by the National Ambulance Service (OMSZ) for IT developments related to the 112 emergency call number, but it is HUF 59 million more expensive than the HUF 2.269 billion upper limit specified in the tender invitation, business daily Világgazdaság and daily Népszabadság both reported on Monday.

EENA Operations Committee - This publication highlights the main concerns related to psychological aspects, needs and support of 112 call takers, and outlines examples of 'best practices' both from a system-oriented and a call-taker's perspective. It may inspire further improvements of call-takers' working environment, that can ultimately enhance quality and effectiveness of life-saving 112 services.

EENA Operations Committee - This publication describes outstanding issues related to the training of 112 call takers whilst assembling the relevant information on the topic and showcasing 'best practices' examples and programmes. It aims at stirring further development of call-takers' education focusing on the identification of specific knowledge, skills and support requested by their role.

Moldova - The 112 phone line, which was supposed to be a single line for all emergency services and which was supposed to be launched at the end of 2010, is still in the project phase, due to lack of money and a legal framework to provide such a service.

UK - The statistics showed the number of emergency calls not picked up by call handlers in Northamptonshire had increased by 170 per cent this year, coming after 20 full-time control room jobs were cut to save money. Furthermore, in August, 40 per cent of answered calls missed a 10 second target. Northamptonshire Police defended allegations that emergency calls were going unanswered, saying August was a "challenging month" which saw the force receive 468 more 999 calls than the same period last year.

Qatar - The Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani launched an emergency call service (992) for people with disabilities at the National Command Centre in Doha.

The first HeERO International Conference (15 November 2012 in Zagreb, Croatia) will be held in conjunction with the EENA Roundtable on 112 in the Balkans (16 November). Register soon!

UK -  The Scottish Ambulance Service's average emergency response time improved in the last year, according to new figures.

Norway - Norway's police could have prevented the bombing of central Oslo and caught mass killer Anders Behring Breivik faster, an official report says. Full report in English is also available here: http://ng01.07.no/22julifiles/Complete_combined_English_version.pdf

United Kingdom - Despite extensive inquiries emergency services had been unable to identify where a call came from. A girl was calling the ambulance service to say her mother had fallen and was not moving. Several hours later, the call "fortunately" had turned out to be a hoax call!

EENA Networks - The EENA Network of Researchers is an international network of researchers in the fields of emergency communications and emergency services. Its aims at fostering sharing of information and knowledge among researchers and between researchers and other EENA members from emergency services and industry.

Russia - The Emergency Situations Ministry will draft a bill over the next two to three weeks to create a center with a single telephone number 112 for responses to all emergencies, including ambulance, police, firefighting and gas. The service will be launched by 2015 across the entire territory of Russia.

Netherlands - From late July, SMS to 112 will be available to those who pre-register. This service will remain operational until 1 July 2013 at least and then further decisions will be made about continuing. The Dutch government is currently working on a Universal Service for people with visual or auditory impairments, in line with European Union legislation. A tender is being prepared.

EENA Operations Committee - This document intends to give a definition for all terms and acronyms related to 112. We will regularly update it with the terminology used in the EENA documents.

REACH112 - All the presentations done during the 2 days of conference are already available together with their related photos.

EU - EENA publishes today the press release of the REACH112 Final Conference celebrated in Santiago de Compostela last 28-29 June, 2012 where it was proven that Next Generation communication solutions will allow deaf community to access to emergency services.

EU - Today, the European Parliament has adopted a resolution on eCall. After several months of intense debate, Members of the European Parliament agreed on calling for a mandatory implementation of the eCall system in every new vehicle by 2015.