In occasion of the 31st anniversary of the 112 European emergency call services, on 11/2 2022, the Government of North Macedonia has made available the services also within its country. The project has received financial support by the European Union.
112 is a single European emergency number you can dial 24/7, free of charge, everywhere in the European Union, and now also in North Macedonia, allowing you to easily reach any emergency service – fire brigade, police or ambulance services – wherever you are.
It is easy to remember, it is the only emergency number you need to remember and it proved its worth – 1.5 billion calls have been attended in the last decade in Europe. In North Macedonia, the 112 call takers are handling already more than a thousand calls per day.
The system will have advanced features, like caller localisation: if the caller does not know where he or she is, the operator will identify where the person making the call is physically located and will pass it to the emergency authorities so that these can help immediately. A quick time of reaction can save lives.
The system offers an integrated access to all emergency services of the country. With its associated requirement for a single coordination and dispatch arrangement, the introduction of a 112 system offers a window of opportunity for closer coordination between fire brigade, police and ambulance services.
The technical changes behind the 112 emergency system also make the implementation of an incident command system more feasible, as it facilitates the process of centralising incident reporting and response.
The EU provided financial assistance to put in place the system while State Budget is used for its operation.