The structure, challenges and strategies affecting the emergency services differ in each country, as does the approach to the work of the emergency services and public authorities. This session outlined how some countries approach these challenges and heard them share their experiences first-hand.

1. 112.fi
The development of emergency response
center services in Finland
Marko Nieminen
Director of ERC Services
Emergency Response Centre Administration
Finland
EENA conference 2016

2. 112.fi
Artic Circle
ERCA´s area of responsibility:
Finland
• 5,4 M inhabitants
• Geographical area:
338.000 km²
• Official languages:
Finnish and Swedish -
recognised regional
language of Saami
• Member of EU: 1.200
km Schengen border
with Russia
• One emergency
number 112
• One separate and
independent agency
managing 112
services: ERCA

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The special features of Finnish 112 model
COMPREHENSIVE CO-
OPERATION BETWEEN
ALL AUTHORITIES,
JOINT ERC ICT
SYSTEM AND FIELD
COMMAND SYSTEM
A SEPARATE AGENCY
HANDLING ALL 112-
CALLS AND A LAW
ABOUT 112-SERVICES
COLLEGE-LEVEL
DEGREE FOR CALL-
TAKERS /
DISPATCHERS
ALL AGENCIES
USING THE SAME
TETRA RADIO
NETWORK WITH
NATIONWIDE
COVERAGE

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Oulu ERC
Primary area of operations Northern Finland and the region of Lapland
Vaasa ERC
Primary area of operations Pohjanmaa and Central Finland
Pori ERC
Primary area of operations Pirkanmaa and Satakunta
Turku ERC
Primary area of operations Finland Proper and Häme
Kerava ERC
Primary area of operations Uusimaa
Kuopio ERC
Primary area of operations Eastern and South-Eastern Finland
ERC reform 2011-2014:
From 15 centers to 6 - new ERC
regions and locations
Pori
Vaasa
Oulu
Turku Kerava
Kuopio
In 1991 there were altogether 133 separate PSAPs for police and EMS / Fire&Rescue.

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The tasks of ERCA
(Act on Emergency Response Center Services 692/2010)
• produces emergency response center
services (call taking and dispatching)
• gives urgent support for police, fire and
rescue and social security and
emergency medical services related to
the emergency response center services
• development and supervision of
emergency response center services

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PSAP model now and in the future
• All centers are using the same ICT system and same radio system
• Centers can support each other in case of problems in the system, but do not have a nationwide
database of units etc. yet
• Total interconnection of PSAPs is under construction and will be implemented 2016-2017
• Official languages are Finnish and Swedish
• In 2014-2015 112 calls have been handled in English, Chinese, Arabic, Bulgarian, Daria, Japanese,
Spanish, Persian, Polish, French, Romanian, German, Somalian, Swahili, Albanian, Russian and
Estonian languages with a help of an interpreter service.

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ERC operator (call-taker and dispatcher)
• Qualifications are set in the Emergency
Response Centre Act
• Emergency Response Centre Operator
Diploma 90 cu / 1,5 years
• Bachelor in Police Studies 180 cu / 3 years
• ERC operator course: Basic studies 23 c +
vocational subject studies 67 c
• Work training
• ERC orientation 1 week
• Field training 2 weeks (EMS, police,
fire&rescue, emergency social services)
• ERC training 3 (4) weeks
• Personnel with police background is given at
least a 6 week introduction before being able
to work independently as a call-taker or a
dispatcher. The training continues normally
alongside the basic work for 6-12 months.

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Call taking
Risk
assessment
Response
determination
Dispatching
Task
monitoring
Situational
awareness
Reporting and
analysing
Co-operation &
communication
DISPATCHERS CALL-TAKERS
OWN FINNISH
PROTOCOL
EACH AGENCY
UPDATES AND
CONFIRMS

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Key figures for 2015
Total number of received calls*: 3 690 000
Emergency calls: 2 780 000
Calls resulted in the mission being dispatched to authorities:
*Including spontaneous police missions, hospital transport and
testing of automated fire detectors.
Answering times (under 10 sek / 30 sek):
1 733 000
92% / 94%
Personnel (manyears; total / PSAP personnel): 597 / 500
False calls / HOAX calls 538 000 / 100 000

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Distribution of dispatched tasks 2015
POLICE
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
FIRE AND RESCUE (INCLUDING FIRST RESPONSE IN
EMS TASKS)
EMERGENCY SOCIAL SERVICES
BORDER GUARD (=MISSIONS WHERE BORDER
GUARD UNITS HAVE PARTICIPATED TO ERC
SERVICES UNDER THE COMMAND OF OTHER
AGENCIES)

11. 112.fi
• Caller location can be located
– Fixed line (address)
– GSM positioning system
– Smart locator (SMS with a link to smart phone)
– Caller giving coordinates in different forms
– 112 Suomi apps (the most accurate, few meters)
• 112 Suomi has become very popular in a short time
– It includes also number for maritime rescue, public service info,
child and youth phone, poison information center
– Within first six months almost half a million users (10% of the
population)
• AML is under discussion
WGS84 format: DD°MM.mmm'

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Finnish
Meteorological
Institute (Security
weather unit)
Finnish Transport
Agency
(Traffic centers)
Finnish Environment
Institute
(Flood monitoring)
Maritime
Rescue
Co-ordination
Centre
Aeronautical
Search
and Rescue
Forest fire
monitoring
flights
Media
Public
warning
STUK
Radiation and
Nuclear Safety
Authority
(Radiation
monitoring)
+ Duty officers in the
MOI
+ State Council
Command and Control
Center
+ Field command systems
+ Registers, databases
International
co-operation,
Barents
rescue
Sharing data about emergencies
Cyber
security
center
Finnish
broadcasting
company
TETRA radio
network and
telecom operators
Forest fire
monitoring
flights

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ERC Administration
strategy 2016-2020
Animation video

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112 services in Finland in the future
• A new ERC ICT system, new
technology and new services taken into
use
• Networking of ERCs into one virtual
PSAP
• one national call queue
• one nationwide database of
resources
• both call taking as well as
dispatching can be handled
anywhere from/to everywhere with a
• One national command and control
room for coordination of the network of
ERCs

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Emergency response centers
• Call taking & dispatching
• Shift management
Command and Control Rooms
• Police
• Fire & Rescue
• Emergency Medical
Services
• Border Guard (maritime
rescue)
Portal users/management
• Statistics
• Operational data
• Management data
ERC IT SYSTEM
Portal users
ERCs and CC rooms of various agencies
Field commanders and units
ERC IT system ERICA
Field command
system KEJO
TUVE VIRVE
Users of ERC IT system

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+ map
features in
the second
screen

17. 112.fi
Hätäkeskuslaitos
PL 112, FI-28131 PORI
Nödcentralsverket
PB 112, FI-28131 BJÖRNEBORG 112.fi
Further information :
EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTER ADMINISTRATION
P.O. Box 112, FI-28131 PORI
Official e-mail: hatakeskuslaitos@112.fi
firstname.lastname@112.fi
ERCA´s youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZAj7APsY4
https://www.youtube.com/user/hatakeskuslaitos
112 Suomi apps: www.digia.fi
Network magazine "Häläri": http://www.112.fi/halari
THANK YOU!
More info about ERCA: www.112.fi