Following a trial during the winter of 2013–2014 organised by the Paris Fire Brigade, the National Federation of French Fire Brigades is calling for 112 to become the sole emergency number in France. The French Society of Emergency Medicine (SFMU) is opposed to this!
Whilst the Naomi affair is causing a stir amongst the public, the confusion amongst the French remains as widespread as ever when it comes to emergency numbers. At present, France leads the way in terms of the number of emergency numbers, with no fewer than thirteen: 15, 17, 18, 112, 114, 115, 119, 116'000, 116'111, 116'117, 191, 196 and, finally, 197. Before she died, young Noémie had dialled 17 (police and gendarmerie), before being transferred to 18, then to 15. In a poll carried out by our editorial team on Twitter, out of 194 participants, 75 per cent said they were not familiar with all of these numbers.
Firefighters want (only) 112
The FNSPF believes that "The proliferation of emergency numbers in France is a source of confusion for the public and undermines the efficiency of the emergency response system. It therefore considers that 112 should become the sole emergency number in France, in line with the practice in many European countries."
Other telephone numbers should either be treated as short-dial numbers for contacting the relevant public services in non-emergency situations (for example, to access out-of-hours medical care), or be phased out gradually. A major nationwide communication and promotional campaign for 112 should accompany this change.
Experience within the fire and rescue services shows that, whilst a level that is too small does indeed allow for very precise categorisation of alerts, it results in management costs that are far too high. The departmental level – the current level at which fire and rescue services are managed – appears to have reached its limits in this respect. The SDIS incur significant expenditure and are therefore inefficient. It therefore seems necessary to move towards a more comprehensive approach and thus to rethink the management of alerts at a higher level."
See also: Handling emergency calls: is the end of departmental management in sight?
The SFMU says no!
For its part, the SFMU believes that "The European decision to establish 112 as a common number was intended to ensure equal access to the emergency services in all countries, without seeking to reorganise the services around this number. European approaches are, in fact, very diverse: whilst all use 112 as a safety net, they have generally not restructured their organisations around this number.
When it comes to the President of the Republic’s proposals, it is ultimately the aim (even greater efficiency) that should be emphasised rather than the form (a single number). Simplifying the management of emergency calls in France may mean reducing the number of numbers, rather than simply having just one. Moving from the 13 emergency numbers listed by ARCEP to just four – 112, 15, 17 and 18 – is already a major step forward in the simplification sought for our fellow citizens: 112 as the standard number across Europe, recognisable to all European tourists; 15 for medical emergencies; 17 for security issues; and 18 for property rescue and personal assistance.
The French Society of Emergency Medicine wishes to emphasise that the French model of pre-hospital emergency care and the acronym SAMU have become a symbol of excellence in emergency care throughout the world. Any reform aimed at abolishing or undermining this model would have an immediate impact on the quality and safety of care and would ultimately be detrimental to our fellow citizens.
It is also worth bearing in mind that the reason there are three separate services – the emergency medical service, the police and gendarmerie, and the fire and rescue service – is precisely to deal with different issues."