Jim Higgins MEP this week pleaded with the powers that be in the emergency services to begin emblazoning the 112 emergency number on the side of Garda cars, ambulances, and fire engines. Speaking in Strasbourg where he was discussing the EU 112 Day which took place last Friday, he noted Ireland’s poor showing in the euro barometer results on awareness of the EU’s 112 number.
“It's hardly surprising that Irish people don’t know about the 112 service,” Mr Higgins said. “Along with England, we’re the only EU country not to put the emergency number on our emergency vehicles. It’s alright calling 999 in Salthill, but what would you dial in Ibiza, or Rome, or Malaga, or Athens when you're in an accident? In an emergency, people don't always think clearly, so the number should be out there in people's minds.”
According to eurostat, only 18 per cent of Irish people know that 112 is the EU wide emergency number. “I hear Comreg talking about marketing campaigns - but we are broke, and we don’t have money for expensive campaigns. We don’t need expensive campaigns. Why not place in big digits 112 on the back of a fire engine? Can you imagine a taxi driver not putting his number on the roof, when he is in the business of call outs? I want to also pay tribute to the emergency services in Ireland, which do great work 365 days a year. Indeed there is no better example than the professionalism shown in the Cork tragedy last week”. Concluding MEP Jim Higgins said “Emergency vehicles are painted to stand out. Now let's paint the 112 number on them so it stands out in people’s minds.”
