phone number

[johnycarper]

We had in the post today a list of emergency numbers and one of them we had never seen before it read,

appel d urgences europeen ....112

Does any one know if this puts you in contact with English speaking operators,as if it does it will be good to put up in our gite.

Thanks,

John

[AnOther]

112 is the pan european emergency number and as such is manned by multilingual operators.

It has been going since 1991 !

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_%28emergency_telephone_number%29[/url]

[johnycarper]

Thanks for that it was senior moment as we already have it in the gite,but thanks for taking the time to answer.

John

[mogs]

I've used the 112 number once before in the past 3 years and found the operator spoke very good English. However I was then transferred to the "duty" local doctor who didn't speak any English, but fortunately I managed to make myself understood.

It might be worth noting that the duty doctor might not visit the house as in my case, I was told to go to the local hospital A & E (it was 4 o/c in the morning and I had developed a reaction to my first round of chemo).

[Balham]

[quote user="AnOther"]112 is the pan european emergency number and as such is manned by multilingual operators.

It has been going since 1991 !

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_%28emergency_telephone_number%29[/url][/quote]

80% of calls get put through to the Fire service (as if you called 18), 20% of calls get put through to the SAMU (as if you called 15), whether there is someone there that speaks English at the time you call is a matter of chance.

[url=http://cesusamu.chez.com/appligos/samu/numerotelephone.html]details here[/url] where it says calls go to either the Fire Service or the SAMU.

[url=http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_%28num%C3%A9ro_d%27urgence_europ%C3%A9en%29]This page[/url] states that one of the problems is that the call takers do not speak the langauge of the caller. Having worked for the LAS I can certainly vouch that in any control room there are not a multitude of linguistics experts. 

[pachapapa]

And in deux sèvres all the fire engines have 112 in large letters with teléphone icon on the cab doors of the vehicules.

[sid]

[quote user="pachapapa"]And in deux sèvres all the fire engines have 112 in large letters with teléphone icon on the cab doors of the vehicules.[/quote]

Do you mean UNE UNE DEUX or CENT DOUZE ?? [:P][:P]

[Val_2]

I was very upset by the SAMU response when we phoned for an emergency ambulance at 2am and my husband was dying.Instead of calming my son and saying the paramedics were on their way,they wanted to know what exactly was wrong and what illness he had and what blood group which we had no idea about,how the hell did we know the answers in all that panic and upset?. We only rang them because of the urgence and because the local sapeurs were already at a neighbour's house in their van and the next nearest were a good 15kms further away.

[cooperlola]

When I was taken to hospital after my accident they phoned Mr C to ask about my blood group too.  I do find this odd - in the UK I believe the just analyse it if you need a transfusion (as I did) rather than expecting everybody to carry a card as they do here.

I now have a card and keep it with my CV, Attestation, Insurance, donor info etc in my hand bag.

[pachapapa]

[quote user="sid"]

[quote user="pachapapa"]And in deux sèvres all the fire engines have 112 in large letters with teléphone icon on the cab doors of the vehicules.[/quote]

Do you mean UNE UNE DEUX or CENT DOUZE ?? [:P][:P]

[/quote]

On dit cent douze partouze.[:P]

[cooperlola]

[quote user="pachapapa"][quote user="sid"]

[quote user="pachapapa"]And in deux sèvres all the fire engines have 112 in large letters with teléphone icon on the cab doors of the vehicules.[/quote]

Do you mean UNE UNE DEUX or CENT DOUZE ?? [:P][:P]

[/quote]

On dit cent douze partouze.[:P]

[/quote]Cripes, you remind me of Mr C and Porsche model numbers.  When he asks after our local bar owner's car by saying how's the "neuf onze" he gets a blank look in return.[:D]

[Balham]

[quote user="Val_2"]I was very upset by the SAMU response when we phoned for an emergency ambulance at 2am and my husband was dying.Instead of calming my son and saying the paramedics were on their way,they wanted to know what exactly was wrong and what illness he had and what blood group which we had no idea about,how the hell did we know the answers in all that panic and upset?. We only rang them because of the urgence and because the local sapeurs were already at a neighbour's house in their van and the next nearest were a good 15kms further away.[/quote]

When I was with the LAS  often it was difficult to get info because people were distressed, didn't have the info or whatever, it isn't every day one needs an ambulance after all but if info was hard to come by we'd send on the call anyway, better to do that that than upset or frustrate the person calling even more. Though none the less the training by the LAS (in the ambulance service in England in general) was good and the information was usually obtained by being reassuring.

The term paramedic isn't really valid in France, it is a specific qualification that does not exist here [url=http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambulancier]info here[/url]. The SAMU are crewed by an doctor, an ambulanceman or ambulance woman and a nurse.  Forthe pompiers, with the VSAV, there isn't the concept of ambulanceman or ambulance woman. They are firemen and firewomen that are not dedicated to the VSAV in that they can be on a fire engine one day and the VSAV the next. They don't even have a driving course to do as such. Essential in England to be able to drive on blue lights.

In England from 1948 all that was needed to join the ambulance service was a first aid certificate until a report in 1966 from a committee chaired by Dr E L M Millar. It took about eighteen months to qaulify and it was a great feeling to finally get the Millar certificate and badge.

I think one of the main differences between France (and similar countries) and Great Britain, USA etc is that paramedics can administer drugs. A list of countries that have paramedics [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramedic]here[/url].