Contacting the Emergency Services

[Callum]

Thanks for the info on France Lyle Shame their emergency texting service is not available for the general public, but really good to know that whatever assistance I need, dialling 112 gets it.

[Lyle Brotherton]

Cal, I am going to advise you to use the 114 Emergency SMS Relay Service in France and then explain my reasoning.

How to use 114 emergency SMS in France
I suggest that you create a draft text message on your phone along the lines of this, where you complete the missing Xs, for your forthcoming visit to France.

J’ENVOIE CE MESSAGE SMS EN DÉTRESSE La reception de mon portable est faible et je ne peux pas connecter à 112. J’ai besoin de Police/Incendies/Ambulance/Secours en Montagne X personnes sont blesses. Ma location est X Je m’appelle Callum X

This (if my French is correct!) reads in English:

I AM TEXTING THIS NUMBER IN AN EMERGENCY My mobile signal is poor & I am unable to connect to 112. I need Police/Fire/Ambulance/Mountain Rescue. X people are hurt. My location is… My name is Callum X

You do not need to provide your mobile number as the text packet contains this information which is displayed to the recipient (unlike when voice calling 112 at the call may have latched onto a network other than your own).

Reasoning
If you have an accident in the in the mountains and you need help, I can personally vouch that the Emergency Services would rather that you got thru to them than not.

Back in 2008 Niels Vinther, a Danish guy, was rescued after he sent a GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) message to a SPOT (A proprietary satellite-based emergency messenger system) emergency call centre, from his location in Glen Etive, 20km south of Fort William in Scotland.

His emergency message was passed from the GEOS Emergency Response Centre to Fort William Police Station, who immediately contacted the ARCC (RAF Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre) at Kinloss, Moray. The RAF team, who coordinate all the UK’s search and rescue helicopters, scrambled the Royal Navy Sea King from Prestwick, Ayrshire, to rescue him and he was flown to hospital by them.

He did not have a license to use his SPOT device and technically he was in breach of British Law.

I spoke to the crew at ARCC about this, when I was visiting them on another matter with Dave ‘Heavy’ Whalley, and Daz Streatham, the then RAF Kinloss MRT Team Leader. I was also visiting the Police at Fort William and took this opportunity to speak to them about it. When I returned home, I called one of my contacts at the MCA (Maritime Coastal Agency) to get their take on the incident. All the agencies agreed that he did the right thing and no further action was being taken against Mr Vinther.

In Life & Death situations, discretion is used. Therefore if your incident is life critical, text 114 when in France.

The reason I suggest that you create a draft text in French, is that often when people are in such a stressful situations they forget the obvious. I have spoken with numerous operators from OACs (Operator Assistance Centres) who all say that sometimes people have to be prompted several times before they can recall fully their own name and secondly, not all French operators may speak English.

[Callum]

 Sound advice Lyle and I have created the template text message in French. My only difficulty is if they get back to me in French But at least I will know that they know I need help and will be on their way.

[boogyman]

Hi Lyle, I can only confirm everyone else's feedback: this information might save lifes, yet it is the first time that I see it brought together in such a concise way. Thanks!

One question though: if I text any of these emergency numbers (like 114 in France), can I rely on the fact that the mobile network will pass along the number of my phone, even if I have configured it to withhold the caller ID? Else, I should better include it in the message text, no?

Cheers,
Chris.

[Lyle Brotherton]

Thanks for asking this Chris, for the reason that there is an important difference between SMS (Short Messaging Service) Texts and Voice Calls made to 112/999 and the transmission of the mobile phone’s telephone number.

SMS Texts are transmitted on the Control Channel, utilising a TXD Platform and Relay Operators. The mobile phone number in this instance is always conveyed and displayed to the receiver, irrespective of the settings on the mobile phone.

This is different from a 112 voice call, where, if the call latches onto a network not registered to the mobile phone, the number will not be transmitted and therefore you should give your mobile phone number to the operator. In practice you will not know which network your call was connected thru so always give the operator your mobile phone number.

When I have compiled all of the information, that I have requested from different countries, regarding Emergency SMS Texting, I will design a webpage, with simple instructions, of exactly what to do.

Plus, I will create a downloadable file which details the procedure for each country.

The one thing that unifies all of these countries is: Dial 112 to reach their Emergency Services.

[Callum]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20774979

An interesting news item this morning.
Britain’s biggest Fire & Rescue Service, London Fire Brigade, are considering allowing people to tweet emergencies instead of dialling 999.

[Lyle Brotherton]

The initial replies to the more than 100 emails I have pinged to rescue teams that I have worked with asking them to detail for me the methods available, to the general public, to contact the emergency services are really interesting and I am pleased to say that again, in the sphere, Britain is leading the way.

Almost 80 years ago, Britain pioneered the development and implementation of a dedicated number, 999, to contact any of the Emergency Services, from anywhere in GB, by telephone. Whereas 911 was not introduced in America until 40 years ago and only has an emergency texting services in a few localised experimental regions, the French still have several different numbers for the different emergency services. With emergencySMS, VoIP (voice-over-internet protocol), social media, such as Twitter and emails, we are again at the forefront of this technology.

The limitations of 999 were that it had been designed around telephone technology that could not handle these new data sources that are both increasingly common in personal communications and critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances.

999 has been an unqualified success. However, changes in the public's use of technology - the growing market for both mobile and VoIP telephony and the increasingly nomadic world they reflect - are contributing to greater expectations for connections to the emergency services.

The spread of highly mobile, dynamic communications requires capabilities that are having to be built-in and added to the existing systems and this is not an easy task.

The goal is to have OACs (Operator Assistance Centres) that have the ability to:

Easily connect with a wide range of devices on the market
Identify the location of the call
Recognize the technology generating the call in order to route the call to the appropriate responder in a timely manner
 
Managing this information and technology will enhance the decision-making ability, response, and quality of service provided to emergency callers. For example, when the volume of callers exceeds the available resources these new technologies can be employed by the OACs themselves to transfer calls to other resources or use real-time images and video to manage the locus from where the call is being made.

The LBF Twitter initiative reflects this pioneering innovation.

[Paul Hitchen]

Many thanks Lyle great idea and a good video. I've sent the you tube link to the DOE authority I assess for, it should be compulsory watching for DOE kids in my view!

I've also suggested we post it on our website at GMRT, it would be good if MREW asked all teams to. 

all the best and a happy and healthy 2013 to all.

[Lost Soul]

Paul,

Can you advise what DOE, GMRT and MREW stand for please.

Thanks

[Lyle Brotherton]

Thx Paul & please feel free to link it, I would personally like as many folk as possible to view it, so if anyone else can create links to it as well that would be very helpful.

If I can get all of the international information I have requested back in time,  I intend to make it the subject for my next article in Mountain Rescue Magazine.

Lost Soul
DoE Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme for people up to the age of 25
GMRT - Glossop Mountain Rescue Team in England
MREW - Mountain Rescue England & Wales association

[Paul Hitchen]

Hi Lyle, the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme Authority I assess for gave good feedback on your video. DOE phones handed out to participants on expeditions will be registered, and the expedition members will be advised of the video.  Great idea of yours, many thanks.

Paul.

[Callum]

Thank you Paul 

[Pete McK]

I have sent the hyperlink to my Education Authority, with the recommendation that it is viewed by pupils who are going on field trips, as we are already doing this at the school at which I teach.

[Skills4Survival]

All, amazing valuable information, no place to get a full overview yet...

[Lyle Brotherton]

Thanks Ivo I am well underway, receiving great details from the many MRT members and various government agencies that I contacted, in over 30 countries, about the various systems available by country and when I have all of this information I am going to create a dedicated webpage on the main website.