Emergency number 112
27.07.2016 – A single number saves lives across Europe: 112 was introduced on July 29, 1991 by the then twelve states of the European Union as a common European emergency number. Germany was represented by Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher for the agreement at the time. As Offenbach's fire chief Uwe Sauer explains, the number 112 was chosen because the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) had already made such a recommendation in 1976. In Germany, on the other hand, the number had been known for a long time: The first major cities had already introduced it as a fire department emergency number in 1954.
Uwe Sauer emphasizes that the emergency number 112 can be dialed without a prefix and is free of charge in all EU countries. "It automatically connects people seeking help with the local 112 emergency call center, where they can call the fire department or receive medical or police assistance." Who manages the 112 emergency call centers is regulated differently in the various countries. These can be the emergency services, fire departments or the police. In Offenbach, the 112 emergency calls are received by the integrated control center of the Offenbach fire department, which is manned around the clock by employees of the professional fire department. The emergency calls are processed according to a structured questionnaire and the necessary emergency services are alerted according to the dispatcher's assessment. While the emergency services arrive, the employee can pass on life-saving information to the caller if necessary.
112 works throughout Europe
Although the number has long since outgrown its infancy, according to an EU study, only one in five people in Germany know that it also works in other European countries. "It is therefore very important," emphasizes Lord Mayor and Head of the Fire Department Horst Schneider, "that the Europe-wide validity of the emergency number becomes better known." However, help can be reached under this number not only in all EU states, but also in Switzerland, Iceland and Norway, as well as in other neighboring EU states such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. Other countries around the world also use this number. Uwe Sauer advises travelers to find out in advance.
For Mayor Schneider, 112 is an extremely positive example of the continued need for European societies to grow together. "The number is a citizen-oriented and life-saving EU product with genuine European added value." Fire chief Sauer adds: "If the European emergency number didn't exist, citizens would have to know over 40 emergency numbers when traveling through all EU countries."
Incidentally, Euronotruf received its most important birthday present back in 2009: its own day of action in the calendar. The "Day of the pan-European emergency number 112" is celebrated annually on February 11, because 112 is already in the date.