Emergency Response Center forced to use 'paper and pencil' after IT failure
The work of the Emergency Response Center was disrupted twice in June due to technical failures and staff had to resort to taking messages by hand. The incidents were not connected but the IT system needs updating.
The failures occurred on June 10 and June 30. On both days, calls to the emergency number 112 were affected.
Janek Murakas, the Emergency Response Center's crisis manager, said the failures had a significant impact on the center's operations.
"In the case of the first failure, we were somewhat fortunate that it happened early in the morning, when the 112 call load was relatively low. Because of this, there were no wait times on the 112 line," he said.
However, the center was not so lucky on June 30, as the problems occurred during peak hours.
"The Emergency Response Center was forced to switch to a paper-and-pencil method, which significantly delays the intake of emergency calls and the dispatch of assistance," Murakas said.
He acknowledged that noticeable wait times did occur on the 112 line. "The longest wait time on the line was nearly six minutes before the caller was answered, and that is definitely unacceptable," he noted.
The crisis manager said the June 30 failure disrupted the operation of the center's main information system, which processes emergency calls and is used to dispatch responders.
"Because the system malfunctioned, we had to use paper and pencil to collect and analyze information, and radio communication to dispatch assistance," Murakas explained.
"Constantly prepared for new failures"
"Given that today's information systems are already quite old, and although a new system is being developed, it takes time, we unfortunately have to be constantly prepared for new failures," the head of the center said.
The June 30 disruption was due to a technical failure unrelated to the previous incident, said Siim Türnpuu, head of business services at the Ministry of the Interior's Information Technology and Development Center.
Türnpuu said the 112 IT system needs to be upgraded.
"Development of the new IT system is already underway, and the first stage will be completed within the next year. At the same time, the current large and complex system is being maintained and improved," he noted.
"Developing the new system is very time-consuming due to its importance, complexity, and the scope of testing involved," the offical added.
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Editor: Helen Wright
