Financial statements for 2020 have been published

In the operating year 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and the related societal precautionary measures were reflected in the operations of the emergency response centres. The number of answered emergency calls decreased in the spring during the early stages of the pandemic and at the end of the year.

As a whole, the emergency response centre services were provided in high quality and the operational performance remained at the level required by the performance targets. The target response times for emergency calls were met for both the 10-second and 30-second targets. The 10-second target response time was met in 91 per cent of all emergency calls. 

The total number of emergency calls decreased by 6% compared to the previous year. Last year, the Emergency Response Centre Agency received a total of 2,787,000 emergency calls, when the corresponding figure in 2019 was 2,951 000.

Personnel

In terms of human resources, the main objectives for operating year 2020 were to increase human resources, reduce sickness absences, and improve well-being at work. 

The utilisation rate of human resources was approximately 92.2%, with the realisation being 585.4 person-years. The resource utilisation rate percentage has slightly increased compared to 2019.  The turnover of permanent personnel was 6.3% in 2020 and 13% in 2019. The human resources of the Emergency Response Centre Agency are not at the target level.

Compared to 2019, the number of sickness absences among operators has slightly increased, whereas among administrative staff, the number has decreased. Coronavirus-related sickness absences amounted to 326 calendar days.

Appropriations and economy

During the budget period, the Emergency Response Centre Agency's operating appropriations increased by 6.3% compared to the previous year. The use of funding decreased by 8.4% compared to the previous year. This was mainly due to the person-year shortage, the costs of the deployment of the new emergency response centre data system, and other changes in operations caused mainly by the coronavirus pandemic.

The emergency response centre operating expenses in EUR/inhabitant have decreased by 1.9% compared to 2019. The expenses of the Emergency Response Centre Agency per answered emergency call continued to increase by 19.4% compared to the previous year.  The increase in expenses was due to the decrease in the amount of answered emergency calls compared to the previous year and the parallel running of the old emergency response centre data system as a back-up system for the year 2020.

Operations

The Emergency Response Centre Agency prepared for an organisational reform – which was implemented at the turn of the year – and a new strategy for years 2021–2024. The strategy was confirmed in January 2021 and is based on the objectives of the joint strategy of the Ministry of the Interior, the forecasts of changes in the operating environment, and 
the Agency's own development goals.

The bases for the future operations of the Emergency Response Centre Agency are ensuring the provision of high-quality emergency response centre services as well as the further development of emergency response centre operations in cooperation with the authorities involved in emergency response centre operations.