What to do to contact the emergency services when the antenna responsible for relaying the call is no longer powered? The question has never been so topical at a time when France is facing the problem of power cuts.
The French telecoms federation therefore responded by explaining that it was working to maintain the 112 when 15, 17 or 18 are cut. For what ? “Because there is no “roaming” for these numbers. That is to say that the calls are relayed by the antennas specific to each operator“, explains Agnès Ricard-Hibon. However, 112 is based on multi-roaming. When contacted, the call can potentially be picked up by an antenna not impacted by the cut.” All right, but who’s going to answer that call? And why ?
How was 112 born?
To understand today’s 112, you have to know why it was created yesterday. And start by recalling that this operational number throughout the European Union is (relatively) young, since it was set up in 1991. But why? “Because emergency call numbers are different from one country to another, it was simply decided to create a single number to allow tourists in foreign countries, in particular, to easily contact the emergency services.”
Who does it contact?
In the event of failure of the usual emergency numbers, it is possible to contact the police, the gendarmerie, the SAMU or the fire brigade via 112but after the intervention of an intermediary in most cases: “The 112 is a fallback and call redirection solution when everything else is not working. When you dial it, the answer is taken by a versatile professional who will take calls from 15 as well as 17 or 18 without necessarily have the business expertise. There is therefore a risk of loss of information and time before the intervention of the professional concerned.”
Know this, therefore: 112 does not replace the usual emergency numbers and dialing it should not become a habit.
Who takes calls in France?
“Here, a third of the departments are taken by the SAMU, and the other two thirds by the firefighters according to a historical departmental distribution, answers the expert. Thus, except in Paris and Marseille, where there are military doctors at 18, all calls concerning health are redirected by the firefighters to the SAMU. And there is therefore no redirection when you come across the structure adapted to your call.
What information should I give first when calling?
“You must immediately specify the nature of your call. If it is a security problem involving the police, fire or health. So that the person who picks up can redirect you effectively, these first words are very important. If the call is not his/her job, he/she will not have the time or the ability to analyze the seriousness of the situation.”
Does 112 work everywhere in France?
Yes… if everything works normally. “There are far fewer relay antennas in rural areas, explains the emergency doctor. In the event of load shedding, it is therefore possible that multi-roaming does not work if all the antennas are affected. But the likelihood of this happening is very low. And if no number can be reached, including 112, there are public service hotlines in each territory, particularly in town halls, which allow emergency services to be reached with satellite telephones.
But no matter what: “don’t call to ask how soon the electricity will be restored and remember to try the usual numbers first. Just because the electricity is out in your home does not mean that your antenna does not does not work !”