Skype is not designed to make emergency calls. How to call an ambulance: five ways
Very often, an emergency situation catches us suddenly. Traffic accident, unsuccessful fall or collision, a sharp attack of pain. Perhaps it was not you who felt bad, but your companion or even a stranger on the street. No time to run to the pay phone; fortunately, we almost always have our mobile phone with us.
How to be prepared for an emergency call to doctors in any situation? Let's try to figure it out.
Let's start with good news: There are ways to call an ambulance from a mobile. And you can now spend five minutes on this article to necessary information deposited in your memory and in your phone's notebook. Let's start by answering popular questions.
Frequently asked questions about calling an ambulance cell phone
- Are calls to the ambulance number paid?
- No, not a single operator. Other emergency numbers are also free to call.
- And even if there is no money in the account?
- Moreover: even if you have negative balance... Emergency calls (including ambulance) accepts any operator.
- How to make a call if there is no SIM card in the smartphone?
- You will have to call 112. The first operator who catches your signal will transmit it to a single call center. Your location will be found by base stations who registered your call.
- Is it possible to call an ambulance via Skype?
- No. In the terms of the agreement, it is expressly written that Skype is not intended for calling emergency services. The same applies to Viber, WhatsApp, Tango and other similar services. Therefore, even if you have installed applications for calls over the Internet, you will have to call in the traditional way.
- Does the number depend on the phone model and operating system?
- No. Only from your operator.
- How quickly will the ambulance respond to such a call?
- Normally. If the doctors are ready, they will leave immediately. If you are close to the hospital, it will be fast. If you are unlucky and you are far away, you have to wait.
Ambulance call numbers from mobile for different countries
It is not known in which region you will suddenly need to call an ambulance. If you can easily remember the number for calling an ambulance from a mobile in your country, then for other countries everything is not so obvious. Asking passers-by to call an ambulance can be difficult due to language barrier... Let's try to give a table of numbers in some countries of the world.
- Russia - 030(MTS, Megafon, Beeline, TELE 2, U-tel), 903 (SkyLink, Motive), 112 (general emergency number)
- Ukraine, Belarus - 103 (ambulance), 112 (rescue services)
- Bulgaria - 150
- Moldova - 903
- Poland - 999
- Czech Republic - 155
- Croatia, Montenegro - 94
- France - 15
- United Kingdom - 999 (one number for all emergency services)
- Spain - 112 (single number)
- Georgia - 113
- Turkey - 112
- Egypt - 123
- Thailand - 1554
- Israel - 101
- USA - 911 (one number for all emergency services)
- Japan, South Korea - 119 (easy to remember: reverse 911)
Before leaving for a particular country, write down the corresponding number in notebook your phone and add to Favorites. Recall that an ambulance call is often made on an urgent occasion, when seconds play a role.
And, if you are traveling to far abroad, learn at least a few English words - so the likelihood that you will be understood at the other end increases significantly. You will most likely not have time to go into a phrasebook.
We hope you never find this material useful. But if troubles happen, it is better to meet them in readiness,
Since August 6, visitors to the Russian-language site Skype are greeted with a warning: “Skype is not intended to call emergency... Skype is not a replacement regular phone and it cannot be used for emergency calls. " Up to this point, the inscription could only be found in separate subsections devoted to interaction with fixed and mobile networks.
Phil Wolff, editor-in-chief of Skypejournal.com, says: "This warning has been hanging on Skype sites for years." However, unlike the English-language version of Skype.com, the Russian-language version contains only three references to the impossibility of calling emergency services.
Wolff explains: “Skype is thus announcing that urban and cellular communication". According to Mr. Wolff, when you call the emergency service, the telecom operator must determine the location of the caller and transmit this information to the destination, while Skype "does not know where you are." “This is due to the specifics of VoIP telephony,” explains Mr. Wolff. - You can use Skype from work, from home, through a firewall, or from mobile phone».
Note that in countries with a more developed regulatory framework for IP telephony, there are systems to compensate for this deficiency. However, they are all focused on the open SIP protocol and do not support Skype. However, according to Mr. Wolff, there are no reciprocal initiatives from Skype.
In addition, according to Mr. Wolff, "it helps Skype avoid the cost of establishing communications with emergency services in more than 100 countries around the world."
Other VoIP operators in Russia, including those using SIP, are in a similar situation. Finam analyst Vladislav Kochetkov shares the opinion of Mr. Wolff that companies operating in this market are not interested in additional expenses for communication with emergency services. To date, this service is not provided by any Russian SIP operator, says Mr. Kochetkov.
Such a warning - and the corresponding provision in license agreement Skype - contradicts the current law "On Communications", which requires the operator to provide the subscriber with the opportunity at any time to call emergency services free of charge. According to the director of PR at Tario ( trademark SIPNET) by Sergey Belovolov, there are no problems in this regard because VoIP providers are not actually telephony operators - and, accordingly, do not fall under the jurisdiction of this clause of the Law "On Communications".
However, similar requirements are imposed on VoIP operators and the legislation of other states. For example, the US Federal Communications Commission requires companies providing IP telephony services to provide subscribers with access to emergency services. Since 2004, when, as Mr. Kochetkov noted, this initiative began to develop in the United States, the necessary legal and technological base has been developed, which has no analogues in Russia yet.
It is likely that, along with encryption inaccessible to SORM, this fact made Skype (as well as decrypted SIP telephony) an object for criticism from communications workers and government officials. Mr. Belovolov is confident that the most likely compromise between the parties may be the creation of a single numbering system for all telephony operators. Such a system will unify and, therefore, simplify the mechanisms of interaction between voice service providers, emergency services and subscribers.
Ambulances are planned to be equipped with video communication. This proposal was made by the Russian Ministry of Health. As part of the creation of a single centralized dispatching ambulance service, it is planned to equip the cars with special equipment capable of receiving audio and video calls. According to the idea of the Ministry of Health, the ambulance team will be able to study information about his diseases in the electronic medical record on the way to the patient. The innovations will operate on the basis of the "112" system. According to experts, it will take about 50 thousand rubles to equip one machine.
Ambulances can be equipped with modern video communication equipment. It is assumed that dispatchers, if necessary, will be able to conduct an audio and video session with a team of doctors. Representatives of the Ministry of Health told Izvestia about this. A source close to the department explained that we are talking about tablets or similar devices - the final decision on the type of devices has not yet been made.
The ministry said that audio and video communication between the ambulance and the hospital can be maintained throughout the entire journey: to the patient and, if necessary, during his hospitalization, in order to be able to receive online advice from specialized specialists. Experts note that the innovations will help avoid controversial issues in the work of the ambulance team, as well as provide the patient with better care.
As conceived by the Ministry of Health, after the ambulance team received a call, information from the patient's electronic medical record will be available to it. Even before arriving at the site, doctors will be able to familiarize themselves with the state of health of a particular person. Now doctors ask the patient for this information.
Ambulance teams using tablets will receive all information about the call and, provided the system is integrated with the regional medical information system, they will be able to access the patient's electronic medical record and online warn the medical organization about the call, which will ensure the continuity of the prehospital and hospital stages. - explained in the Ministry of Health.
They recalled that integration is now being carried out in the regions of Russia information system with an emergency call support system operational services on single number"112".
Pavel Gagarin, chairman of the board of directors of the audit and consulting group Gradient Alpha, said that about 50 thousand rubles would be required to establish audio and video communications in the car. At the same time, he believes that if the Ministry of Health conducts a tender for the purchase and installation of equipment in accordance with all the rules, it will be possible to reduce costs by 20-30%.
Yuri Zhulev, a member of the public council under the Ministry of Health, believes that innovations, no matter how much they cost, will help improve the quality of medical care.
With the help of audio and video communication, the ambulance team will be able to consult with more professional specialists if necessary. In a number of regions, this can help, the expert believes.
He said that the public council supports the introduction of various kinds of IT technologies in the healthcare system, but one should not forget about the basic requirements. For example, it is necessary to expand the ambulance fleet - then even without new technologies, the time for doctors to arrive at the patient will be reduced.
And the fact that now the ambulance team will be able to receive information about the patient to whom they are going will help to significantly reduce the time for making decisions, to understand what kind of assistance needs to be provided, whether it is necessary to hospitalize. Even before arrival, doctors will know what the patient is suffering from, what allergic reactions are. In some cases, this can save someone's life, - said Yuri Zhulev.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are 20,738 vehicles in the Russian ambulance fleet.
It's no secret that Skype is used by a huge number of users all over the world. This program is convenient and, importantly, allows you to make free video calls to almost any country. However, sometimes there are problems in her work. Let's take a look at the most common ones, reasons and solutions.
If you are having problems connecting on Skype, then it is possible that the reason is the speed of the connection to the network. First, check if you have internet access. Then look at the connection speed. This can be done using special utilities or on online services. If the speed is low, the program does not automatically allow you to make a call.
In the event that you have a problem with a specific subscriber, then check if you are authorized by him. It's easy to do - just look at the avatar. If you see a silhouette with a question mark instead, then most likely he did not add you to his list of contacts. Also, while making a call, pay attention to the subscriber's network status icon, whether he is online and whether he can make calls. Correct this and try to make the connection again.
Microphone problems
If Skype drops the call, we'll see what to do next. Sometimes the reason may be a problem with the microphone. In this case, you can make a call, but as soon as the contact you want to contact picks up the phone, the connection is terminated. If the situation is familiar, you will most likely need to test the microphone operation. To do this, do the following:
- Click the Tools item.
- Go to the Settings section.
- Select the Sound Settings on the right side of the window.
- We look at the upper Microphone block.
First, make sure that the program is using the correct device. Laptops use the built-in microphone by default. If you want to connect another, then select it next to the corresponding inscription. Also notice the green volume slider. Set the selection to the checkbox next to the offer automatic tuning devices.
Also, the problem might be with the microphone drivers. The simplest solution is to uninstall them via Task Manager or update your drivers to begin with. Next, restart your computer. We connect the microphone (if it is not built-in), wait until the drivers are reinstalled. This happens automatically. Now we check if the problem has been fixed, usually this is enough, and the connection is restored.
Advice. Some people complain that "I am calling on Skype, there are no dial tone". It is quite possible that the problem is in the operation of the speakers, which can be checked in the same place as the operation of the microphone.
Video camera problems
If there is a problem with the video camera, then the interlocutor will not be able to see you, even if the connection is made. First, check if the drivers are installed on the device and if there is a conflict. To do this, open the Task Manager and find the camera (it is located on the Imaging Devices tab). There should be no exclamation marks or red cross next to the name. If they are still there, then the driver will need to be removed and reinstalled.
If you're having trouble making calls on Skype, try to figure out what caused it first. It is possible that the connection with another contact occurs due to the fact that he himself does not reject the call. If such a situation is excluded, then we are looking for a problem in the operation of audio and video devices that are "responsible" for communication. Sometimes the reason may be wrong settings programs. It is possible that you or the subscriber's parameters are set in such a way that audio or video calls are prohibited, which will need to be corrected.
Ask your child and your parents for an ambulance number, chances are you will be unpleasantly surprised by the answer. We turned to specialists for the correct answer.
Call by phone
Here's what he told us Stanislav Manerov, director of the company "Security Space", instructor-methodologist of children's and adolescent programs at the School of First Aid:
“All two-digit telephones 01, 02, 03 in Moscow were replaced a year ago with three-digit ones: 101, 102, 103. There are about ten more emergency call numbers, full list and another important information can be viewed on our website:
The main number for calling emergency services in Russia is 112. From a mobile phone, the number works throughout Russia and in Europe. This number can also be dialed from a landline, it is valid in most regions of Russia. Does it work in yours? Before giving the number to the child, you need to check.
Safety School instructors tell children that remembering this phone number is very easy: 112 - one mouth, one nose, two eyes.
Calling from the emergency number 112 is possible:
- with absence Money on your account,
- with a blocked SIM card,
- if there is no phone SIM card.
The child should be told: “If something happened to you, you need to see if there is an adult next to you and ask him for help. If there is no adult, you need to call, give your name and age and tell about the situation, say that there are no adults around. "
And be sure to add that as soon as an adult appears nearby, you must definitely ask him to call back, because most of the emergency services do not accept children's calls.
Not all services have a caller ID, unfortunately, it is impossible to count on them to call back.
It is advisable for older people to have a telephone with them, even in the apartment. Situations can be different. Of course, if a person has a stroke, he will not be able to call himself an ambulance, so call your loved ones regularly.
It must be remembered that an ambulance is also a referral service, there is a doctor who can recommend something. Although he will not undertake to make a diagnosis over the phone, he can prompt some elementary things. For example, if you feel very bad and doubt - call a doctor from the clinic, who will come in a day, call an ambulance or still call an ambulance, in this case the dispatcher will switch you to a specialist who can competently advise you.
If the operator for some reason does not want to take the call, ask to switch you to the doctor on duty. The operator is obliged to do this. But if suddenly he refused, you need to dial the number again, explain the situation to another operator and ask to connect you with the doctor on duty.
Keep in mind that the ambulance does not issue any documents, it will not give you a certificate or a sick leave. Therefore, calling an ambulance to certify your absence from work is useless for you and harmful to others. Having left for such a call, doctors may not be able to reach the one who really cares about it.
Ambulance - to save lives. You need to remember this and not call her in vain, for example, in order to measure the pressure. Everyone seems to know about this, but at each ambulance station there is a list of grandmothers who call the brigade often and for no reason.
- What if you don't have a phone at hand, but you have a computer? Can I call an ambulance via Skype?
- Each Skype subscriber entered into a service agreement with the service and put a tick in the “agree” box. But few people remember that this agreement says that Skype cannot be used to call emergency services.
Exists mobile app"Rescuer" from the Russian Emergencies Ministry, which has an emergency digging. If you press it for 5-10 seconds, the coordinates go to the Ministry of Emergencies and they call you back.
- And if a person cannot speak? Can I call an ambulance by SMS?
I have never heard of this, but it is quite possible that such a service exists. Although, to be honest, I doubt it. The fact is that an ambulance is not required to respond to all calls. If firefighters leave on any call, then the ambulance dispatcher assesses how the patient's condition threatens life and chooses: who according to their profile, who to send to the clinic, who to the ambulance, which will arrive within 24 hours. In the case of SMS, weed out fake call more difficult.