The telephone networks have a limited capacity as regards call management. Under emergency circumstances, a sudden increase of the number of calls may overburden the networks and, consequently, block them.
How can you avoid blocking the telephone networks under emergency circumstances?
- initiate only salient calls;
- shorten, as much as possible, the telephone conversations;
- send short text messages (SMS);
- use the mobile Internet for e-mail or instant messages;
- if your family and friends are outside the affected area, ask one of them to send the others information on your situation; thus, you will make only one call instead of several.
Under exceptional circumstances (i.e. earthquakes, fires, floods), we must confine to strictly emergency calls. If you initiate a call only to discuss about what happened or about anything else which is not an emergency whatsoever, you can overburden the telephone networks. Under such conditions, people who are really in danger will not be able to call the emergency call service – 112 and get help.
|
112 is the single European emergency call number one can dial in case of fires, accidents, medical emergencies, disasters and other events which require the quick intervention of specialised services (Police, Gendarmerie, Ambulance, Fire Brigade, SMURD). |