Members Info......EMERGENCY 1 1 2 NUMBER We have covered many topics already in this EiA Group and were barely a month old, and in my belief that we must not forget those often forgotten back room staff when an emergency happens, I therefore today focus on your first point of contact and the Emergencias 112 Service!!!...........Just so we are all up to speed on what that all important number 112 is, it is the one point of contact from virtually any phone that you should dial to report any Emergency issue pretty much across Europe and even in many other countries of the world........Fire, Flood, Accident, major crime......if you require Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade, Coast Guard attendance.....dial 112 even on mobile phones that are locked or blocked, this number will work and is free. It is a European wide number and works alongside each countries existing emergency numbers!!!.......So, what happens when you dial it here in Spain???.......Well, your are, of course, put through to an Emergency Call Centre where your number is instantly visible to the operator.....even if you have it blocked!!!.......and if you are calling from a fixed line the highly trained and skilled operator will know instantly your location!!!.....If you are calling from a mobile the operator will know your approximate area based on the Cell Communication Antenna your phone is currently linked to!!!........The 1 · 1 · 2 Service for Valencia Region and indeed all regions is a public service established by the Government whose basic functions are as follows: 1.....To receive emergency calls to the 112 number made by any citizen from Valencia region such as those requiring Ambulance, Fire & Rescue Service, Police, Civil Protection or Coast Guard. 2....To collect information from citizens who use the 112 Emergency Number and using applied policies, request attendance of the most appropriate emergency service or services to the citizens position 3....Give notice to the emergency services who have to act (and also to those who must be informed of it), collaborating on possible coordination between them, to get the most effective response to each incident. 4....To provide a common technology platform to all services that are on stand-by for any type of emergency, making available a common tool in communications and emergency management in an environment where critical information is transmitted quickly and multi-directionally between all emergency services as and when needed. The above information is provided by the Emergency 1 1 2 Service on their web site!!! What the Emergency 112 Service does do is provide a first point of contact for the general public and further doubles up as a command and control entity for the regions emergencys in general. For the Valencia Region of Alicante Province, Castellón Province and indeed the province of Valencia, there is a Regional Emergency Coordination Centre located in LEliana (Valencia). All calls to 112 are passed through to this centre and whats more, they will, if requested, speak to you in English or German, French or Arabic and they will even communicate in Spanish!!!.......Thats surprising!!!........dont get me wrong, obscure dialects such as those spoken in the north of England may not be covered, but they have operators covering a wide selection!!!.....Whilst you are talking to the 112 Emergency Operator they are typing away and the computer system in place is already sending this information to one of 3 regional Emergency Control Centres whos job it is to act on the information given and alert the appropriate Emergency Service for an appropriate response to be sent!!!.......These regional Control Centres are in direct contact with the responders and coordinate what is happening on the ground.......So, the 112 Emergency contact number is the door to Civil Protection, the starting point in the management of an Emergency!!!.....However, if you are the person making that all important call then you are advised here in Spain to Conducto PAS, Proteger, Aviser y Socorrer!!! - Protect, Advise & Assist!!!.......This is a subject in its own right and covered under a separate topic in this group but the important issue if you are making that all important call is to make sure you are safe yourself before doing so!!!......Returning back to the point of acceptance of that emergency call, the 112 Emergency Call Centre operator and their input of information given by the caller is dealt with across the Regional Control Centres and onwardly to the appropriate responding agency or agencies electronically. With a mere input of data the Guardia, Policia National, Policia Local, Civil Protection, Ambulance, Fire, Coast Guard are already receiving the data whilst you are still talking on the telephone and although there are some very remote areas of Valencia Region that in turn may take some time for Emergency Services to become visible to you, rest assured the 112 system is extremely fast in getting that info through and getting those responders en-route!!!.....However, once an initial emergency call is complete, the work of the 112 Regional Control Centres is just beginning. They monitor the response, adjust it accordingly, add assets as required and even move assets to cover those responding just in case, and above all, log the process right through to what is hoped is a satisfactory conclusion and therefore closure of the incident!!!.....Quoting the website of the Government of Valencia, there are, at any one time 24 hours a day and 365 days per year, 150 highly qualified Operators, Coordinators and other professionals manning the Main & Regional 112 Centres in any one shift......Thats a large concentration of highly skilled personnel working in the background to assist and hopefully protect each and everyone of us!!!......I must add that the Valencia 112 Emergency Call & Regional Centres are regarded as some of the best in the country continually achieving the targets set by Central Government!!!......So, next time those friendly Bombero crews go whizzing past with their lights flashing and sirens blasting, spare a thought for the vast, efficient and professional mechanism that is behind them......And finally, The Valencia 112 Emergency Services run by the Valencia Government state this on their web page......Coordination amongst hundreds of professionals, advanced technology and the cooperation of citizens strengthen the effectiveness of care in an Emergency!!!.......That part about cooperation of Citizens is each and every one of us.......This in turn is made stronger and therefore more efficient by being linked in this amazing group.....So stay tuned, add your own info as required on relevant issues and get your friends and neighbours on board!!!.....Have a great and hopefully trouble free day and remember when your amazing people down the local bar with your knowledge on this subject please do tell them you get it at the EiALERT NETWORK right here......Compiled by Jim Fraser for the EiA!!!
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 11:42:59 +0000
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