EENA’s newsletter brings you the latest updates in emergency communications.
In this edition, you can read about problems with public warning alerts in France, cell broadcast testing in Luxembourg and Bulgaria, the EU’s new directive for cybersecurity, our upcoming events and webinars, and much more.
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EENA News
Register now for the EENA 2025 Conference & Exhibition!
Registration is open for the EENA 2025 Conference & Exhibition! Get ready for three days packed with insightful discussions, cutting-edge technologies, and valuable networking opportunities.
Join us at Messukeskus in Helsinki, Finland, on 9-11 April 2025! Our programme will explore topics related to implementing EU legislation requirements, AI applications, NG112 standards, operational topics, and more.
NG112 & AI DAYS – Register now!
Our event on 4-5 December in Santa Cruz de Tenerife highlights key advancements in Next Generation 112 (NG112) and Artificial Intelligence, shaping the future of emergency communications.
The programme will focus on the transition to NG112, exploring the entire implementation process, including roadmaps and essential aspects like accessibility. It will also highlight the role of AI in emergency communications, with insights from EENA’s AI special project and practical solutions for PSAPs, such as noise elimination, detection, triage, and mission-critical communications.
Take a look at the draft programme.
New blog posts: Business Continuity Management for PSAPs
Business Continuity Management (BCM) can be used as a tool for PSAPs to build resilience by identifying potential threats and developing strategies to maintain operations in the event of disruption.
In our new blog post, EENA’s Tech and Ops Committee Vice Chair, Henning Schmidtpott, addresses how BCM can help PSAPs strengthen their resilience and ensure that essential processes can continue even in crises.
Did you miss our latest webinar?
The recording and presentations of our recent webinars on PSAP and TPSP Certification Programmes are available on our website!
Webinars
Case Study – Insights from Denmark’s
Public Warning Systems
5 November 2024, 14:30 CET
This webinar will showcase how Denmark has developed and implemented cell broadcast technology as part of its Public Warning Systems (PWS). This session will cover the project’s key milestones, real-world activations, and the collaboration with mobile network operators (MNOs). We’ll also address deployment challenges, regional cooperation, and future plans for expanding beyond cell broadcast technology.
112 in Ukraine: Maintaining an emergency response during war time
12 November 2024, 14:30 CEST
This webinar will follow a keynote speech given at the EENA 2024 Conference by Leonid Tymchenko. The webinar will focus on presenting Ukrainian emergency service representatives’ efforts to maintain and even improve emergency response in the face of Russia’s invasion. From establishing remote working for call-takers to the preservation of their technical infrastructure and the launch of new 112 centres, join us for a demonstration of exceptional resilience.
Add to your calendar.
Register here.
Enhancing cardiac emergency responses with volunteer first responders in Europe’s rural areas
12 December at 14:30 CET
Many European regions follow the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines by alerting volunteer first responders (VFRs) near out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs), crucial in the ‘chain of survival.’ While VFR systems work well in urban areas, rural experiences are less understood. This webinar presents research on response times and rural VFR experiences, stressing the need for more recruitment and fire service dispatch in rural areas.
Add to your calendar.
Register here.
Interested in presenting at an EENA webinar?
We are looking for webinar presenters with expertise in Real-Time Text (RTT), especially from vendors offering RTT solutions for PSAPs.
If you’d like to participate, please contact us at [email protected]
Want to know more about our webinars? Visit our website to learn more!
Regulatory news
Directive 2022/2555 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS 2)
The EU’s new Directive 2022/2555 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS 2) came into effect on 18 October.
This directive doesn’t create direct obligations to PSAPs. Instead, it imposes obligations on companies providing essential services to them. NIS 2 follows NIS 1 and expands compliance to include providers of public electronic communications networks and services, which are crucial for PSAPs. It also strengthens reporting requirements for entities like cloud computing service providers already covered by NIS 1.
Read more on our latest blog post.
Emergency communications around the world
Emergency call takers at a high risk of PTSD
Research shows that emergency call takers have five to six times greater risk of developing PTSD than the general population. During emergency calls, dispatchers can hear the situation and distress but not see what is happening. Most often, dispatchers don’t know the end of the emergency situation. These factors create stress that can make emergency call takers more likely to develop PTSD than emergency responders like police and firefighters.
Luxembourg tests new public alert system LU-Alert
Luxembourg’s new public alert system, LU-Alert, will replace the previous system, GouvAlert. LU-Alert uses cell broadcast and location-based SMS, which is meant to be a more efficient, multi-channel, and modern alert system. LU-Alert allows users to personalise notifications and is being tested from 17 to 25 October. Unlike the old system, LU-Alert ensures instant message reception via cell broadcast and has a new website for users to verify alert messages. The system aims to improve communication and trust during emergencies.
Bulgaria tests cell broadcast system successfully
A test of Bulgaria’s disaster notification system, BG-Alert, was deemed successful by the Interior Ministry’s DG Fire Safety and Population Protection. Conducted on 17 October, the test aimed to send a text alert with sound and vibrations to every mobile phone in the country. However, some did not receive the message, likely due to their phones not being configured to receive such alerts. Factors include the need for cell broadcast functionality, an updated operating system, and network coverage. BG-Alert is a one-way system, so tracking how many people received the alert is not possible.
France faces problems with their mobile alert system, FR Alert.
On 17 October, an FR Alert was issued in Southern France for heavy rainfall, which caused flooding, prompting the highest alert level in certain areas. While users of other mobile networks like Bouygues, SFR, and Orange received the alert, Free Mobile subscribers either did not receive it or experienced significant delays. This is not the first time there have been problems with FR Alert on Free Mobile. The reason for the malfunction is unknown, but it may be linked to technical issues in Free’s network infrastructure.
Read more here (CCM, in French).
EENA was here
A glimpse of the recent events EENA has taken part in.
10 to 13 October 2024, Reykjavik, Iceland
EENA attended the ICE-SAR Rescue 24 Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, on 10-13 October, where our public affairs director, Benoît Vivier, presented current and upcoming challenges on 112 in Europe. The conference also featured presentations from different countries worldwide on the daily challenges rescue services face. During his time in Reykjavik, Benoît also visited 112 Iceland to understand better how emergency communications are handled there. Despite covering a relatively small population, the PSAP in Reykjavik covers one of the widest areas in Europe, which is also particularly prone to weather events and presents a very complex geography, highlighting the need for a particularly efficient and state-of-the-art emergency response system.
7 to 8 October 2024, Stockholm, Sweden
EENA attended the ETSI EMTEL meeting in Sweden. The meeting featured a briefing on the NG112 and NG eCall Plugtest, provided updates on the latest technical specifications and highlighted future work within the EMTEL group. Discussions also focused on improving accessibility to emergency services, reinforcing the importance of inclusive communication solutions in emergency response. Stay tuned to see where EENA will be next!