In an emergency, the right measures must be taken quickly. For this reason, operators at the 112 emergency call centre rely on explanations and descriptions from callers. In future, however, they will be able to gain a better understanding of the situation via video calls.
In response to a parliamentary question from Marc Goergen of the Pirate Party, Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden stated that, as part of the EU directive the European Accessibility Act, the function of video communication (video call) for emergency calls was recently introduced at the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) emergency call centre.
According to the minister, 112 operators can send a link via SMS that, once opened, grants access to the camera and microphone of the caller’s smartphone. The images and audio from the location are then displayed on a screen in the control centre.
The feature will not be used automatically for every emergency call, but only when the situation “calls for it”, according to Minister Gloden. The video function enables operators to respond better in complex situations and to provide first aid guidance until an ambulance arrives on the scene.
