More than 230 services on one number: Moscow 112 system celebrates its 11th anniversary

On July 3, the 112 system, which receives emergency calls from residents of the capital, turned 11 years old. The system was created in 2012, and today its operators work on a one-stop-shop basis with more than 230 services. These include firefighters, rescue workers, police, ambulance service, gas service, emergency repair services, city councils, prefectures, transport dispatchers, and many others.

System opportunities

You can ask for help not only by calling number 112 but also by sending a text message to it. This is particularly critical for people with hearing and speech impairments. The system has received about 19 thous. such messages since the beginning of the year.

In addition, operators process signals from the ERA-GLONASS system. The equipment allows them to talk to those inside a car. This year, the system has received more than four thousand messages after the automatic or manual triggering of car sensors.

The service employees in the metropolitan city areas often have to take calls in foreign languages. A linguistic support group was created in 2019. Unit specialists routinely study grammar and vocabulary and listen to topics regarding answering calls and emergency services operation. Since the beginning of the year, they have received more than 500 calls from foreigners.

Thanks to its user friendliness, Moscow residents choose the system more and more often in emergency situations. Since the beginning of the year, operators have received and processed a total of 3.3 million calls. For reference, for all of 2020, common number 112 received 2.8 million calls.

Listen and help

125 operators are on duty every day, with the total of 625 specialists on staff. It takes them up to a minute and a half to receive, process and send information to appropriate services.

During the warm season, Muscovites most often report accidents on water and concerning people feeling unwell because of the heat. Specialists can also consult, for example, on where to go if you have a tick bite.

In winter, witnesses of accidents on ice-covered bodies of water call the 112 system. Eyewitnesses report on children out on ice out of curiosity, fishermen, and athletes who need help. Operators immediately forward the information to proper services for further response.

The service workers give tours for children and teenagers. In summer, for example, participants of the PROheroes career guidance project come here. Teenagers in difficult life situations are shown the operations room, specialists’ workplaces, and the process of receiving and handling emergency calls. They are told how to become an operator and what the requirements are for those who apply for this position. The project is implemented by a specialized employment service center “My Career” supported by the Moscow Department of Labor and Social Protection of Population in partnership with the Department of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Fire Safety of Moscow.

Valuable staff

First and foremost, the 112 system is about people, the professionals who ensure safety of Moscow residents on a daily basis. They talked about the inner workings of the service.

Olga Rozhkova, Head of the Call Response Control Department of System 112 Public Institution, has been in her profession for more than 20 years. She began her career as an operator for the Moscow Emergency Rescue Service, and today she is responsible for the interaction between the institution she works for and the emergency, accident, transportation, and other services. Specialists in her department check how their dispatchers work and how quickly people get help.

Olga Rozhkova is proud of the fact that she is surrounded by unique professionals who know everything about receiving emergency calls, and city services and are united by the common idea of helping as many people as possible.

“It is important for me to know that my work is meaningful and useful to the community,” she says.

Olga Rozhkova was awarded the EMERCOM of Russia Medal “For Cooperation in the Name of Rescue” for her great contribution to the organization and automation of emergency services call system in the city.

You can learn more about the work of the 112 service and fire and rescue garrison in Moscow at the photo exhibition “Valuable Staff” in the park of the Northern River Station. There are pictures with QR codes. By scanning them, you can go to the site of the Valuable Staff project, where interviews with specialists from city services are published.