15, 18 or 112: how and by whom emergency calls are regulated ?

Emergency call to 15, 18 or 112: who answers you ?

In the case of the death of Naomi Musenga in 2017, the SAMU operator who had not passed the victim's call to a doctor was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended. An opportunity to question emergency calls. How are 15, 18 or 112 managed ?

In 2017, Naomi Musenga, 22, contacted Samu for severe abdominal pain. Which had not been taken seriously by the operator. The young woman died five hours later in hospital. Which raises the question: how and by whom are emergency calls regulated ?

The 15th: Samu

If you witness a loss of consciousness, if you have hemorrhage, neurological disorders (such as those suggestive of a stroke for example), chest pain… dial 15.

By calling SAMU Center 15, as Naomi Musenga did, you will not find a doctor directly. But on a "medical regulation assistant". After opening a medical file and locating the request (name, address, telephone number), it determines the urgency of the situation in order to better guide you according to your needs:

benefit from medical advice by telephone; be referred to the doctor on call; be referred to the emergency room of the hospital or clinic; be subject to the dispatch of a medical team to the site.

The 15 thus prevents unnecessary congestion of emergency services.

The 18th: the firefighters

Discomfort, a person choking, a serious injury, a burn, a fire, a road accident…hellip; When you dial 18, your call is handled by the Firefighter Alert Processing Center (CTA). Your request for help is located and identified. Here again, you won't have a doctor on the line.

But the services are connected. Thus, in the event of a medical emergency, a switch can be made to the Samu. The medical regulation assistant then takes control.

112: the European emergency call number

112 is the free emergency number accessible throughout Europe and in 80 countries. It allows you to contact emergency services of all types (firefighters, police, SAMU). A dispatcher will assess your situation and then forward your call to the appropriate service.