By Georgia Michael
112, the number that saves lives but... as an outgoing non-existent in Cyprus! In many cases abroad, the European system of early warning by sms message or otherwise known to us mainly from Greece, the early warning message from the number "112", has proved to be a saviour.
This is an integrated emergency communication service, which includes an incoming and outgoing part and is used in almost all countries of the European Union. As far as incoming calls are concerned, citizens can call 112 in any emergency. As for the outgoing leg, the service allows citizens to be informed in cases of natural, technological and other disasters by sending mass messages to their mobile phones.
In Cyprus, however, again this year the emergency message will be an "ally" in the effort to warn citizens in time. However, according to Political Defence Spokesperson Olivia Michailidou, who spoke to the Cyprus Times, the procedures are proceeding normally so that next year it will be in our quiver as well.
"We had asked for the advice of experts so that documents could be drawn up for a call for tender. This is a multi-million tender. This study was done by the experts, the documents were prepared, the tender was announced and now we are at the stage of evaluating the tenders," Ms Michaelidou noted.
The aim, she said, is to award the tender within the year based on the tender procedures and to implement the system in 2023. She noted that the company that will be selected will also need some time to implement the system.
Asked if it will be ready for operation even next summer, she replied that at the moment she is not in a position to know but stressed that as Civil Defence they want it to be implemented as soon as possible.
"This system will be particularly useful in cases of fires because that is where its usefulness will be most apparent. It may, of course, be used in other situations as well. However, when a fire breaks out and it becomes necessary to evacuate an area, it will be a very important tool for us because it will send a direct message to the population in that area to evacuate in time. It will be sent to everyone, whether they are locals or visitors," he said.
This year again with... announcements and sirens
With the current data, this summer in Cyprus the information on emergencies will be provided as we have been used to in recent years.
"There will be announcements issued by the Civil Defence and people will be informed either through the mass media or through social media However, it is worth mentioning that in Cyprus there is the system of sirens that have the possibility to transmit an audio message".
The problem, however, is that although there are several sirens throughout the island, they mainly cover the towns and not all the communities, as Mrs Michaelidou explained.
If you find yourself in Greece
And if you are preparing for a holiday in Greece it would be good to know how the system works because you never know!
As for the incoming leg, 112 has exactly the same use as in Cyprus and so in this case things are pretty much known. The call is free of charge, can be made from a landline or mobile phone, even without a SIM card, and from public phone booths without a phone card. Calls are answered by specially trained operators in Greek, English and French. Caller location detection will be automatic for all calls, as soon as the operator answers. The 112 system will allow citizens to notify the emergency services not only by telephone call, but also by sending SMS and MMS messages, as well as by email and fax.
As for the outgoing leg, in the event of a natural, technological or other disaster, you will receive a message from 112.
These messages are written in Greek and English, and provide instructions for self-protection measures to be taken by citizens affected or potentially affected by such a situation. The messages can be voice or written.
In principle there are Cell Broadcast (CB) messages. The citizen receives a written warning message on their smart mobile phone, displayed on the mobile phone screen and accompanied by a distinctive alarm sound (different from any other notification sound on the device). CB messaging is free of charge.
There are also Short Message Service (SMS) messages. The citizen receives a text message on his mobile phone. "112" appears as the sender of the message. This technology is aimed at citizens who do not have smart phones.
There are also voice alarms. The citizen receives a telephone call on his or her mobile or landline phone. The caller is shown as "112". As soon as the citizen answers the call, he/she hears a voice message, recorded or translated from text-to-speech.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
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