112 (emergency telephone number)

The euro emergency is a royalty-free, cross-national European emergency number, which can be reached by dialing 112.

Operation

Among this number is a control center to reach out the relevant organizations such as police, ambulance or fire brigade alerted depending on the emergency. The control center should be able to handle calls in different languages.

Countries

In Europe, the euro emergency applicable in all Member States of the EU, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine and the Vatican City. Next is the emergency number in some Asian countries such as Israel and African countries such as Zimbabwe and partly in South Africa use. In Canada and the United States, the 112 call to 911 will be forwarded when dialing. Some Latin American countries have the 112, for example, Costa Rica. In addition, it is also used in the Pacific Rim countries, such as Vanuatu and New Zealand.

In addition to the euro emergency national emergency numbers can still be valid.

Special features of the mobile phone use

Initially, a mobile phone the emergency euro was selected mostly without inserting a SIM card, entering the PIN code or unlock the keypad. Because of frequent emergency abuse must be partly Italy, Romania, Switzerland, the UK and Cyprus inserted a SIM card into the GSM networks of Belgium. Also in Germany is by the Regulation on emergency calls the making of emergency calls without a SIM card operational since 1 July 2009, no longer possible. If the mobile phone is no reception in the network of its own SIM card will automatically be mediated by a foreign power. Such emergency has priority in the mobile network, if necessary, another connection is disconnected. This prioritization does not apply to other emergency numbers usually, such as for the police telephone number 110 in Germany.

Awareness of 112 as the European emergency call number

The European Parliament has already stated in 2007 that the euro emergency is far too little known as a Europe-wide emergency number and therefore asked to make the benefits of the single emergency number visible. This finding was confirmed by the flash regularly created since 2008 Euro barometer for € 112 that: the EU average, only 22 % of the population in 2008 was therefore known that 112 applies throughout the EU. In Germany, this was only 12%. The low level of awareness of Europe-wide validity of the 112 confirmed 2009 (EU average 24%, Germany 16%) and 2010 ( EU average 25 %, Germany 18 %) with a small absolute increase. The level of awareness as an EU -wide emergency number took until February 2013 EU average at 27% and was 17% in Germany. Germany was thus in 2013 on the fourth to last place in the EU ahead of the UK (13% ), Greece ( 7%) and Italy ( 5%). The level of awareness as an EU -wide emergency number is in Poland (57% ), Slovakia (55 %) and Finland (54%) the highest. In Austria it is more than double the high ( 37 %) than in Germany.

European 112 Day

On 11 February 2009, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission have in common the introduction of an annual " European Day of 112 " decided to make the euro emergency known. The Euronotruftag was due to the date contained in the emergency number on the 11.2. (February 11 ) down. Due to the declaration of the European Parliament on the European emergency number 112 of 25 September 2007, the first day of the European emergency call was already committed on 11 February 2008 in Stuttgart by various (rescue ) organizations.

The common emergency number has repeatedly integrating function. It brings together the emergency services ( ambulance services, fire departments, police, rescue ) - in Germany in integrated control centers. As a common emergency number connects them all rescue organizations in the EU and there is a symbol of the culture of help. The increasing awareness of the euro as a common emergency call emergency number 112 for making the symbol of the European Union. This also can help the Euronotruftag.

E112

E112 ( added 112 number) describes, the U.S. model of the following E911, caller location when selecting the emergency number 112 It facilitates the appropriately equipped control centers, the location of the caller ( in so-called eCall, the location of the crashed vehicle).

Although the EU regulation specifies that the control centers should get automatically displayed information on the location of the caller, this works not yet in Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania. Furthermore, the location is technically flawed (see GSM positioning ).

History

The introduction of the 112 number was decided on a proposal from the European Commission in 1991 by the EU Council of Ministers, and since then consolidated by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers in two other legislative procedures. Meanwhile, many countries have adopted this concept outside the EU.

In Germany, the euro emergency is legally regulated in § 108 Telecommunications Act. In Austria the 18 emergency KEM- V runs under § 112 solely on the police.

A wanton abuse of the euro emergency call is punishable as with other emergency numbers in most countries, see abuse.