Absences due to illness decreased and job satisfaction rose in 2023
The Emergency Response Centre Agency’s financial statements for 2023 are complete. Last year, the number of employee absences due to illness fell, new ERC operators were recruited, and employee satisfaction increased.
eCall offers safety in situations where the driver cannot call for help
There has recently been discussion in the news about automatic emergency call systems in vehicles. The Europe-wide eCall connects directly to the nearest emergency response centre and sends information directly to the centre's information system.
The missing children hotline improves safety across the EU
In the event that an underage child becomes missing, it is important to inform the responsible authorities quickly. For this purpose, assistance is available from a common European hotline. In Finland, the hotline can be used for sharing tips about missing children. In emergencies, the number to call is 112.
Real-time text for emergency services will be introduced in 2025
Emergency calls using real-time text (RTT) will be made available by the end of 2025. The new option for emergency calls will especially help people with hearing or speech impairments. The Emergency Response Centre Administration has already taken the first steps in the development of RTT.
Emergency response centre operator awarded for outstanding performance
The European Emergency Number Association EENA awarded a Finnish emergency response centre operator for outstanding work in assisting a person that had fallen through the ice in the wilderness. Finland’s emergency response centres are built around the professionalism of ERC operators and cooperation between authorities, and the case demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach.
You are abroad and you receive information about an emergency situation in Finland – This is what you should do
The Emergency Response Centre Agency's international emergency number can be called in situations where the notifier is abroad but the emergency is in Finland. The emergency number 112 in Finland cannot be reached from abroad.
The Emergency Response Centre Agency has introduced an international number for situations where a person has information about an emergency situation in Finland or another situation requiring immediate action by the authorities while abroad.
– When traveling abroad, people occasionally have an urgent need to connect to the Finnish emergency centre system. Typically, this can be a vague request for help from an elderly relative, which the person abroad becomes aware of. We have wanted to meet this need by launching the Emergency Response Centre Agency's international number, says Lasse Matilainen, Head of the Emergency Response Command Centre.
According to Matilainen, the number is monitored by the Emergency Response Centre Agency. The Command Centre transfers the call to the correct emergency line, and the need for assistance is assessed by the emergency centre, as it is done with other emergency calls.
– Until now, contacts from abroad have been handled through several intermediaries, which has made it difficult and delayed receiving help. With our new service number, Finnish people can now connect to their country's emergency centre system without contacting the local country's emergency centre. We are pleased that we can now meet this service need.
The international number of the Emergency Response Centre Agency: +358 9 2297 0908. The number can be found in the 112 Suomi application's Emergency Numbers tab.