The government plans to launch an integrated emergency call center, as the tragedy in flood-ravaged Krymsk has highlighted the need to improve the quality of response from rescue services, Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov said Thursday.
The center will be built with about 20 billion rubles ($623 million) in state and private investment.
The Emergency Situations Ministry will draft a bill over the next two to three weeks to create a center with a single telephone number, 112, for responses to all emergencies, including ambulance, police, firefighting and gas, Puchkov told reporters after the government meeting.
The idea is simple, Puchkov said. Instead of having to know the telephone numbers of all the various emergency services, people can dial 112 in an emergency to contact the integrated call center, and an operator will assign an agency to take charge of the problem.
Implementing the initiative will allow for "improving the quality of response" from all emergency services and cut the time needed for them to react, Puchkov said.
The service will be launched by 2015 across the entire territory of Russia. The minister said it had already proved effective in places where it is being tested, including the Kursk region and the republic of Tatarstan.
The service will be available to foreigners as well because operators will be able to reply in three foreign languages: English, German and French. Puchkov said the list could include other languages in the future.
He said financing for the project, totaling 20 billion rubles, would be provided by the federal budget, regional budgets and telecommunications operators, with 30 percent of that sum to be spent in 2012 and 2013.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at the government meeting that the tragedy in Krymsk shows that the country needs to develop its emergency services.
He also promised that the government would provide about 300 million rubles from the federal budget to compensate those who suffered in the flood, in addition to the 3.8 billion rubles already set aside for that purpose.
Puchkov said more than 34,000 people had already received compensation.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
