Kuwait Times
Colonel Ahmad Al-Azmi
KUWAIT: When in danger or facing an emergency, people need to call for help, so everyone should remember the number 112. This is the hotline of the emergency call center which replaced the earlier number 777, and it connects the police, fire and ambulance departments.
A total of 293 employees work at the center in shifts, with 40-42 employees in each shift. Women always work the 7:00 am to 7:00 pm shifts, while male employees work during the other shifts. “All employees have passed special training courses in telecommunications and navigation. Recently, they received even more specialized and intensive training, as two years back our department in cooperation with the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) launched a special program for the 112 call center. We are now employing graduates of this two-year training program to have professional staff,” explained Colonel Ahmad Al-Azmi, Head of the Operations Department at the operations central headquarters, in an interview with Kuwait Times.
Thousands of calls
The center receives thousands of calls daily. “Two days back, we received around 11,000 calls, and usually the number ranges between 7,000 and 11,000 calls. Out of this figure, only between 800 to 1,000 are actual reports, while the rest vary between inquiries, repeat reports and children fooling around. We receive over 2,000 prank calls by children daily – the number was much higher in the past, but we decreased it after reporting these reckless callers. We filed cases against them and many were deported and the rest signed undertakings to not repeat it, after calling the owner of the line to tell us who made that phone call,” he added.
Employees of the emergency center receive reports or help in three languages. “The staff speak Arabic and English, and we have Urdu translators working in shifts,” added Azmi. The most common reports are about traffic accidents. “These are followed by medical incidents, fights and attacks, and residential and commercial fires. The 112 hotline is connected with the fire department, ambulance and all the field sectors of the Ministry of Interior including rescue, public security and criminal investigations. We are also directly connected with the Ministry of Public Works, Municipality, Environment Public Authority and the Ministry of Electricity and Water,” Azmi told Kuwait Times.
“Each report is diverted to the department in charge. So for instance, domestic violence cases are transferred to the social police, which is part of the public security division. We receive such reports daily. Reports about wild animals for instance are transferred to the environmental police, which is very active these days,” stressed Azmi.
Seven years
Shaima Dashti a 112 call center operator, has spent seven years working there. “Usually, the reports depend on the weather and workdays. So for instance, when it is raining, we receive many reports about reckless driving. Also, during the rush hours when people are heading to work or returning from work, we register a higher number of accidents, while during holidays, people usually start reporting accidents after 11:00 am,” she noted.
“Regarding medical reports, the most common ones are for kidney dialysis, and most of these patients are known to the ambulance staff as they are frequent callers. The majority of reports we receive are about traffic accidents and medical cases for ambulance. During summer, fire reports increase due to the high temperatures. In addition, marine reports are related to drowning, sinking or water accidents,” added Dashti.
Azmi concluded the interview with some advice for the public. “Drivers should not use the phone while driving, as this is the main reason for traffic accidents. Also, people should be careful, especially during summer, to always switch off exhaust fans and mobile phone chargers. These two devices are the reason for many fires as they melt at high temperatures. I also advise travelers to check their passports early, not take baggage from strangers and switch off the electricity in their houses when leaving for a vacation,” he said.
By Nawara Fattahova
The post Inside the emergency call center – Official talks about preparations, dealing with different cases appeared first on Kuwait Times.