The emergency number was dialed more than 1.1 million times in 2023. In less than half of these calls (41%), the urgent need for help was revealed by an ambulance, police or rescue services. Every third (33%) call to the emergency line is made either by mistake or the caller does not need urgent help.
Külike Uzjukin, the head of the western center of the emergency center, said that the four emergency center regions had fewer emergency calls than the west in 2023 – 6 calls for every 10 people. The western region of the alarm center includes the counties of Hiiu, Järva, Läne, Pärnu, Rapla and Saare. The most calls were from the eastern region, i.e. Ida- and Läne-Virumaa, where one call was made for each resident. Out of all the calls to Estonia, emergency calls (60%) continue to make up the largest share, followed by police (27%) and rescue (5%).
In 2023, a total of 137,922 calls were made to the emergency line from the Western region. In 55,710 of these calls, Häirekeskus identified the need for emergency, police or rescue assistance. Emergency care was needed the most – 35,364 times. The reason for calling the ambulance was mostly chest, chest and back pains, wounds, fractures and various traumas and disorders of consciousness. During the year, the police were needed a little more than 12,000 times and rescue a little more than 4,000 times. The most calls were made in June, but help was also needed in the other warm months of May, July and August.
Every third (33%) call to the emergency line is made either by mistake or there is no urgent need for help. Calls made by mistake are, for example, those that are interrupted in a few seconds, i.e. before the rescue operator manages to answer them. They also include calls where children, the elderly or unlocked phones and watches accidentally dial the emergency number.
The head of the Western Center, Külike Uzjukin, when talking regarding last year’s 112 calls, singled out callers with social problems as a growing trend. “There are many such calls where there is no need for urgent help. For example, people in need of social assistance call, who suffer from an alcohol problem, mental health problems, a need for communication due to loneliness, or serial callers who sometimes call dozens of times a day, but their problem is not solved by an ambulance, the police or the dispatch of emergency services,” says Uzjukin shouted.
The task of the emergency operator responding to the 112 call is to determine whether an ambulance, police or rescue is urgently needed. “If it is not an urgent need for help, we forward the caller to the support lines of the Social Insurance Board, for example, or we explain the options for contacting the local government for help and services. However, we see in our work every day that if people don’t know how or if they don’t have time to call elsewhere, they dial 112,” added the head of the center.
Children and young people are exemplary callers to the emergency line
Children and young people are good callers for help – they listen attentively to the rescue operator’s questions and let them lead the call, which is necessary to quickly explain what happened and where it happened. On the recently held 112 days, the President of the Republic of Estonia Alar Karis and the General Director of the Emergency Center Kätlin Alvela recognized the children who made an exemplary emergency call last year.
Five children and young people who made an exemplary emergency call in 2023 were recognized from the Western region. 9-year-old Helena called an ambulance nearby, who had lost consciousness, while 10-year-old Alex, who was on his way to violin practice, informed regarding the men sleeping in the park bushes and potentially needing help. 19-year-old Hannabell and Andra reported the fire and explained its exact location, and 12-year-old Heili noticed an unattended fire in the forest.
2024-02-13 10:30:33
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