Deputy Interior Minister Leonid Tymchenko announced the expansion to the Dnipro in the near future, and to Odesa by the end of the year of the network of communication centers of the 112 Service, which is an important part of Ukraine's integration into European standards of emergency response. This was reported by the National Police, UNN reports.
Details
"A regional center was set up in Kyiv, which was later joined by Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Cherkasy regions," Timchenko said.
On December 1, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs launched a new communication center for the 112 Service in Lviv, and in the first four months of 2024, such western regions as Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, and Chernivtsi joined the system.
In the near future, we plan to launch a center that will cover the eastern region of our country and will operate in the city of Dnipro. Next, we plan to launch another, fourth center, which will operate in the city of Odesa and will cover the southern macro-region of our country
During the year of operation, 112 operators handled more than 2 million calls. According to the Deputy Minister, the most frequent calls were to the police and emergency medical services (approximately equal numbers of calls), followed by firefighters and gas services.
Timchenko emphasized that a call to the unified 112 number allows several services to be called simultaneously, which is important in today's military environment when an immediate response to missile attacks, destruction or casualties is required.
He also emphasized that the introduction of a single number for emergency calls is in line with EU requirements as part of Ukraine's European integration. He added that approximately 30% of 112 operators speak English. In addition, people with hearing impairments can make video calls to 112 and receive consultations and necessary assistance through sign language.
"In general, the 112 Service is staffed mostly by women. Some of them had experience working in other emergency services, such as 101, 102, 103, 104," he said.
When selecting candidates for 112 operators, special attention is paid to people with experience in combat and veterans. The training program for operators includes the use of international experience and psychologists' courses to handle difficult situations, for example, when a person is on the verge of suicide.
The training of operators lasts about a month and is supported by international partners, the National Police, the State Emergency Service, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Energy.
Recall
A decision was made to reserve 90% of the personnel of the State Emergency Service and the National Police of Ukraine. 10% of the SES personnel have the choice to be mobilized to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard or the State Border Guard Service.