A true sea serpent, the European 112 is making its first step in France.
From the start of 2022, this unique number will be tested in a large area of France, for two years, to assess the “most effective method”, announced Emmanuel Macron at the French firefighters congress.
Praised by them, the 112 is criticized by some doctors of the Samu.
Le Parisien takes stock of this measure which continues to divide.
Why a single platform?
The project has been in the pipeline for a long time and already exists among our European neighbors.
It makes it possible to group calls to the police, the gendarmerie, the fire brigade and the Samu to a single number, 112.
And put an end to the cacophony generated by the number of emergency numbers.
For firefighters who ardently defend this device, it is the opportunity to put an end to unnecessary calls.
On the other hand, emergency physicians fear a saturation of their services and a "loss of opportunity" for patients.
Who will be affected?
The experiment will concern "a defense zone", or "a large region", Emmanuel Macron said in Marseille, without giving more details.
Will the old numbers go away?
No, assures Patrick Hertgen, emergency doctor Firefighters and vice-president of the Firefighters of France.
"We are not going to cut them, but the idea is to communicate better on the single device".
Which services will be directed to 112?
Concretely, three unique platform formulas will be tested: one where calls to 15 (Samu), 17 (emergency police) and 18 (firefighters) will arrive, another only for calls. to 15 and 18 and a third grouping together calls to 15 and medical emergencies. The goal is to find the right formula, to send the most suitable help to callers as quickly as possible. "The firefighters of France are waiting for this experiment to lead to the establishment of 112, the European emergency call number, as a single number," they indicate in a press release. They want it to be linked to the non-urgent care access number, 116-117. The latter, called “Care Access Services” (SAS) is being tested on twenty-two sites, and is popular with emergency physicians.“The 112 looks simple, but it's simplistic. The fact that it is simplistic does not solve the problems and does not say how the stroke goes in the right course of care, nor the call for a suicide attempt ”, deplores François Braun, president of the Samu Urgences union of France. The SAS is a health number, with sorting done by a professional ”.
Who will answer the phone?
According to information from France Bleu Provence, 70 to 80 people will answer calls on a telephone platform.
“We don't know exactly who will answer.
(…) What is certain is that our medical regulation assistants do not have the skills to respond to a fire or an assault.
The risk is that the operators of this platform do not have the skills for a health call, ”fears François Braun.
“There will be a mix of people associated with the number, we put operators from the three services, police, firefighters, Samu.
There will be two levels of hooks, an orientation according to the field of the call, and a prioritization according to the urgency.
They will be the same people on the phone as when you type in the old numbers, but in a different organization, ”reassures Patrick Hertgen.