Emergency communications for European citizens

Olivier PAUL-MORANDINIFounder – President

European Emergency Number Association - EENA

From Accidents to Disasters

15 May 2007

15th World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM 2007)

• Introduction

• Citizens calling emergency services

• Communication btw emergency services

• Warning and alerting Citizens

• Conclusions

Contents

Introduction

• Europeans travel for leisure and business– 100 million Europeans cross the intra EU

borders every year

• 65% feel less protected when abroad– They ignore risks and language– They think that emergency services are less

well organised,– …

Two words about Europeans

Citizens112

Authorities

Sirens, Radio, TV,

GSMs

Special NetworksSpecial Networks

Emergency services

Emergency telecommunications

Citizens calling emergency services

Single European Emergency call number 112

112 Statistics

CGALIES, 80-100 million Emergency calls

40 million from GSM3,5 million bad caller location

information loss of time

2,5 without caller location information

no help sent

– 5 000 more lives could be saved every year in the EU – 5 000 000 000€ saved by emergency services

DECO en 2003…in Portugal

1000 calls to the 112 evaluated

– 15% Spanish and Portuguese– 20% French – 29% EnglishNever got help

Between 15% et 30% of emergency calls are handled inappropriately or not at all !

2/3 of Europeans are unaware of the 112 !

• Knowledge of the 112– Campaigns, One number

• Possibility to launch a call– Network availability, Disabled users

• The call is answered– Call center organisation, Multilingualism

• The call is handled– Τraining of operators, Standards

• Help is on its way– Available ressources, Caller localisation

• Help arrives– Minimal response time standard

• Caller is taken care of– Quality criteria and standards

112 service chain

• Universal Service Directive 2002/22 (art. 6, 7, 26)

– Directive 2002/58 – Privacy (art. 9, 10)

• Availability in parallel with national numbers

• Free of charge

• Calls appropriately answered and handled

• Localisation data (in transparent way)

• Adequate information about existence and use

112 legal obligations

• EENA petitioned the European Parliament

• European Commission more active– Conference in October 2005 - 112 is a priority – Eurobarometer– 13 infringements, e-call …

• ETSI EMTEL Working Group …

Compare with USA

• Hillary Clinton – ENHANCE 911 act (2004)

112 - Current situation

Communication between emergency services

• Analog vs. Digital• Spectrum bands

– Narrowband, wideband, broadband– Citizens’ Band, Amateurs

• Technologies– TETRA, TETRAPOL (380-395 MHz) – GSM (800-900, 1800 MHz)

• GSM/BOSS, Germany, Vodaphone• StateWide Network, New York State, M/A-COM Inc.

– Wi-Fi (2,4 – 5 GHz)• Several Research Projects in Europe• Citywide Mobile Wireless Network, New York City, Northrop

Grumman

• Terrestrial vs. Satellite systems

Overview

• MESAETSI and TIA

• U-2010 projectUbiquitous IP-centric Government & Enterprise NGN Vision 2010

• ORCHESTRAOpen Architecture and Spatial Data Infrastructure for Risk Management

• WIDENSWireless Deployable Network System

• WINWide Information Network

• DeHiGate Deployable High Capacity Gateway for Emergency Services

Interesting on-going projects

• Lesson learnt from 11/9 and 7/7– Communications within and between the

emergency services did not stand up on 7 July …(London Assembly report on 7/7/2005

attacks)

• European Security Research Programme

• Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS)– Community Mechanism for Civil Protection

Interoperability

Warning and alerting citizens

• Traffic contol and road accidents

• Approaching chemical or nuclear cloud

• Threat of terrorist attacks

• Upcoming extreme weather conditions

• Tsunamis

• …

Urgent needs

• RDS (Radio Data System)

• Interconnected radio and TV stations

• Mobile telephones

• Sirens (audible signals)

• Bells

But no general, global solution in the EU !

Available technologies

• Safety and health signs at work (Directive 92/58/EEC)– Continuous acoustic signal for evacuation– Regular checks

• Seveso installations (Directive 96/82/EC)– Organisation of alert and intervention – Early warning, alert and information of the public

• Radiological Emergencies (Directive 89/618/Euratom)– Alert and information of the public– Aplies to transport

• Authorisation Directive (2002/20/EC)– Use of networks during disasters for broadcasts to the public

• Transport of dangerous goods– Safety in tunnels

Legal obligations

• Extremelly fragmented • Cell Broadcast (group SMSs) (ETSI mandate)• CHORIST project

– Alerts from heterogeneous sensors / multiple agencies to citizens

• Some work at UN level– Conferences on Early Warning Systems for the

Reduction of Natural Disasters and reports

• Legal obligation for warning & alert in upgrading of Civil Protection Mechanism (under discussion)

Current situation

Conclusions

• US - Proposed «Federal Interoperable Communications and Safety (FICS) Act» (Hillary Clinton, May 25, 2006).– Undersecretary for Emergency Communications and Office of

Emergency Communications– National Emergency Communications Strategy– State-wide Interoperable Communications Plans– National assessment of the nation’s interoperability capabilities– Emergency Preparedness Centre– National Alert System

• EU - European Public Safety Communication (PSC) Forum (relatively small project)

Europe behind the US

• The response demonstrated a lack of consideration of the individuals …

• Procedures … focus too much on incidents, rather than on individuals and on processes rather than people. …

• Plans tend to cater for the needs of the emergency … services, rather than explicitly addressing the needs and priorities of the people involved.

– (London Assembly report on 7/7/2005 attacks)

Towards a more Citizen-centered approach ?

• Knowledge of the 112 is a fundamental citizens’ right

• Citizens calling the 112 should get the appropriate help, as soon as possible, at the place of the emergency

• Citizens are entitled to the same high quality safety and security standards and should receive the same high quality aftercare in case of accident or disaster

• Citizens in a disaster prone area have the fundamental right to be warned and informed in order to ensure their auto-protection

EENA believes that …

• Non-profit association established in Belgium.

• Works to promote the knowledge & efficient use of the 112, in Europe– by acting as a discussion platform bringing

together all the actors (organizations, emergency services, enterprises and individuals) involved

• Is also active in the field of early warning of citizens in disaster prone areas

What is the EENA

Thank you !

Contact the EENA

• Web: www.eena.org

• E-mail: info@eena.org

• Post: EENA262 Avenue Louise,B-1050 BrusselsBELGIUM