COVID-19: Impact on PSAP activities

Emergency services across the world have faced many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This report explores the impact on and the response of emergency organisations,  primarily in  Europe,  during the first peak of the crisis. The report highlights that although some countries did not experience a significant change in the overall number of emergency calls, certain countries,  particularly those hit hardest by the outbreak, saw an influx of calls which challenged the capacity of their emergency call centres. Alternative numbers,  such as non-emergency medical numbers and dedicated crisis information hotlines, were a useful tool to reduce the number of emergency calls and prevent the saturation of emergency call centres. It is particularly useful if these numbers are already well-established and well-known among the population. In addition,   services were often impacted differently,   with many countries noting an increase in emergency medical calls and a decrease in non-medical emergency calls  (fire and rescue,    police).    This highlights the importance of fostering synergies between emergency services. Inter-agency cooperation and the pooling of resources should be taken into consideration. Emergency call centres responded in various ways to the challenges faced,   including by introducing new protocols and making efforts to increase the number of staff.    However, improvements can still be made.