Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The two-digit numbers were possible for landline connection only. Mobile operators used different three-digit combinations 101, 011, 102, 022, 103, 033…
Remembering which number to call from a particular operator can be difficult in stressful situations. The emergency number 112 works in all networks. When faced with a problem, it is enough to call 112, and call takers will send the respective services for assistance. Moreover, 112 is available throughout Europe and outside of its territory.
Calling 112 has other advantages as well:
•  caller location can be determined during the call;
•  emergency call has priority in the network, which is especially relevant during peak hours when mobile network is congested;
•  if the SIM card does not work or cannot connect to your network, call to 112 will be transferred to another mobile operator;
•  calling 112 is possible even when having an insufficient account balance or using a mobile phone without a SIM card;
•  dialling 112 does not require unlocking the phone or entering a PIN.

The Emergency Response Centre does not locate the caller. The approximate location is determined and transmitted to the Emergency Response Centre by mobile operators Telia, Bitė and Tele2 based on the mobile phone’s connection to the mobile communication base station (tower). This is the case worldwide. The Emergency Response Centre receives, decodes and displays the data transmitted by mobile operators at the call taker’s workstation.
The caller location capabilities in our country meet all requirements of the European Union and Lithuania does not fall behind other countries. On the contrary, as far as the location accuracy is concerned, we are even ahead of many foreign countries. In the Review 2016 by the Communications Committee of the European Commission, location solutions of Lithuania were cited as an example of best practice.
For more information on caller location methods in Lithuania click here.

The recording you refer to is played in cases when due to peak hours call answering times are longer. Its purpose is to inform the callers that there is a queue of calls and they should hold the line, because if they hang up and call again, the exchange will put them to the back of the queue and it will take longer for the caller to get through.

The purpose of all the questions asked during calls is to find out what happened and where, so that correct information can be provided to emergency services.
According to the fire safety standard, a conversation with the call taker of the Emergency Response Centre with the caller in case of fire must last up to 1 minute. However, having alarmed forces, the call can continue to collect additional information about the incident.
When help of the police is needed, call duration is not subject to any standard requirements, because situations are different and complicated.
In the case of emergency medical services, the aim is to immediately connect to the dispatch centre of emergency medical services, so questions are asked about the location of the incident and the type of help that is needed only to make sure that no other emergency services are needed.
In all cases the aim is for calls to be as short as possible, and this is monitored through internal quality control of activities. When statistical data show deviations, reasons thereof are analysed.

Call takers of the Emergency Response Centre do not have to introduce themselves to callers in order to speed up the response to calls for help of the callers. But if the caller so requests, the employee has to introduce himself telling the name of the institution or structural unit, his full name and job position.
However, the employee also has the right not to tell his surname or to introduce himself when he is threatened or being maliciously insulted.

The duty of the call taker of the Emergency Response Centre is to assess the need for help, to find out the location of the incident and to prepare and transmit reports to respective emergency services according to the algorithms (response schemes, questions) provided by the respective emergency services. He does not control and is not responsible for the deployment of forces, i.e. his job functions do not provide for this duty.
Operational management units of the police control police crews, dispatchers of emergency medical services stations control emergency medical services crews, while the Emergency Response Centre itself controls operational activities of crews of the fire and rescue service only.
Call takers can see if the respective emergency services have received an incident card or if emergency medical services and police forces were assigned, but they cannot tell where they are at a particular time and when they will arrive at the scene.

There are several ways for persons with a hearing or speech impediment to communicate with the Emergency Response Centre:
1. mobile application of the emergency number 112;
2. sending an SMS to 112;
3. using the “Silent Call” service installed in the Emergency Response Centre;
4. using a remote translation service provided by sign language translation centres.

When a report of noise is received, the Emergency Response Centre collects the necessary information from the caller and immediately passes it on to the police, whose remit is the maintenance of public order and public safety, prevention of criminal offences and other violations of law, and their detection and investigation. The Emergency Response Centre does not have the power to control the police and does not manage the police forces, so if you have any questions about the priorities and speed of the police forces’ response, you should contact the county police headquarters.

The emergency number 112 can be used to report a violation of law that is being planned, is or has taken place, or a sudden threat to life, health, safety, environment, tangible, intangible or other property, and, if necessary, to call emergency services to the scene.
If the calling / reporting person is not in real danger at the time of the call and there is no need for immediate police assistance at the scene, the Emergency Response Centre’s call takers, who answer the call, may suggest going to a police office or submitting a report via the web portal www.epolicija.lt. The web portal allows providing more information than via a phone call. If a report is made on www.epolicija.lt portal, the Emergency Response Centre will not accept it again, as the incident has already been registered with the police.
If the caller refuses to submit an application using the portal, the call taker of the Emergency Response Centre will prepare a report and forward it to the police via the information system.

A person calling an ambulance to the scene by the emergency number 112 is usually connected to dispatchers at the respective emergency medical service station. This procedure is established by the Order of the Minister of Health.
Before connecting the caller to the emergency medical service dispatchers, the call taker of the Emergency Response Centre must find out the address of the incident in order to connect the caller to the emergency medical service station of the area where the incident occurred and/or to forward the address of the incident to the emergency medical service dispatchers in case the conversation with the caller breaks down. They also inquire about the type of needed help to ascertain that other services are not required.
When the person is connected to the dispatchers at the emergency medical service station, they already receive and see the data filled in by the ERC, but according to the applicable rules, they have to check it before proceeding with the call.

To get the data on your 112 calls, you need to provide the Emergency Response Centre with:
1. A personal identity document;
2. A request stating:
2.1. your name and surname,
2.2. residence address,
2.3. phone number(s), from which you called 112,
2.4. the type of information you want to access.
3. A document confirming that you are the legitimate user of the phone number(s) indicated in the request (e.g., a contract between the subscriber and the mobile operator for the provision of public mobile phone services).
If the request is sent by post, a copy of the personal identity document must be notarised.
For more information on providing data on 112 emergency calls, click here.

A person has the right to receive information only about his calls to the emergency number 112. But the police investigating the accident are entitled to request records of other people’s calls for the purpose of ascertaining the circumstances of the accident.

Request for help can be sent by SMS, but we do not recommend doing so for several reasons.
First of all, calling for help by SMS takes a lot of time because correspondence is a slower way of communication compared to talking. It takes time to write a message, send it, and wait for a reply, and when urgent help is needed, those minutes can be fatal. According to a study conducted in Norway, calling for help by SMS usually takes about 20 minutes, while when calling, this is the time when emergency service can arrive at the scene.
On the other hand, SMS does not have a priority in the network and, if the network is very busy, it can be delivered after a certain time only, for example after 5 minutes or even an hour.
So, actually calling for help is a more reliable and faster way to get help than sending an SMS. SMS can only be useful if a person calling for help cannot speak.

The Fire and Rescue Department under the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for the operation of the Population Warning and Information System and for the transmission of cell broadcast messages.
For information on how to set up your phone to receive alerts visit https://www.lt72.lt  or use the contacts listed on the above-referred website.

Call takers of the Emergency Response Centre can accept requests for help in Lithuanian, Russian, Polish and English.
Lithuanian sign language interpreters are also available 24 hours a day to receive requests for assistance in Lithuanian sign language from users of the mobile application of the emergency number 112.

You could have faced such a problem when calling using a handset model made in China, which is intended for the Asian market. Such phone models were observed to dial 112 incorrectly.
To prevent this from happening, we recommend that you purchase a phone from reliable suppliers only, and having encountered such a problem, contact the seller or the authorized representative of the manufacturer notifying that the phone does not work the way it should.

There is no way to contact the Emergency Response Centre in Lithuania from abroad.
If you want to call emergency services from abroad, you can call 112 or any other emergency number in that country and you’ll be connected to the emergency call centre in that country.
However, we do not recommend calling emergency services for someone in Lithuania when the caller is abroad. Communicating through intermediaries in another location affects speed, accuracy and quality of service, so it’s much better if the victim or someone close to the victim calls for help.
If you happen to know that someone in Lithuania needs urgent help and for some reason is unable to get it, we recommend you to contact people in Lithuania who can inform the Emergency Response Centre of the need for help by dialling 112.

The Emergency Response Centre cannot ignore 112 calls, as an ongoing exercises or drills could turn into a real event at any time. Therefore, the Emergency Response Centre does not need to be informed of such exercises or drills in which emergency services do not take part.
The Emergency Response Centre should only be informed of exercises or drills in which emergency services take part and should receive all information about the simulated event through the Emergency Response Centre. In this case, the Emergency Response Centre must be informed by email: [email protected]  not later than 2 working days before the exercises. The information must include: the date and time of the drill or exercise; name and address of the company, institution or organisation; details of the person responsible for organising the drill or exercise (name, surname, contact phone); emergency services that take part in the drill or exercise; and any other relevant information (e.g., whether smoke will be used, etc).