Structure and elements of the emergency communication system in Poland
In our country, there are several administrative levels that divide the emergency notification system. The highest level, national level, belongs to the Government Security Center, which has been sending messages to citizens in the form of SMS alerts since 2018 in relation to heavy rainfall or strong and dangerous winds. Interestingly, from January 2023, the Center and the Alert function will be abolished, and the State Duty Service will be established in their place. It will be mandatory to download two applications on smartphones, which will warn about potential emergency situations and enable self-reporting of danger: the Regional Warning System (RSO) and Alarm112.
At the provincial and district levels, there are Crisis Management Centers that monitor the situation in their respective areas around the clock. At the municipal level, there is no obligation to establish such facilities, but many municipalities have established them.
The main responsibility of the emergency center is to maintain continuous readiness to respond to critical situations. Many processes carried out in the Center rely on close cooperation with various entities: rescue, search and rescue, and humanitarian services, other crisis management centers, and public administration. Other responsibilities of the facility also include ongoing documentation of activities carried out.
Automation of crisis management processes
In today’s rapidly advancing technology, not only does it improve the quality of our daily lives, but it also proves effective in the field of emergency communication. Communication, which is often chaotic and difficult to manage. The speed and quality of information flow between services determine the effectiveness of crisis resolution and the minimization of potential damages. An integrated platform for dispatching processes and contact channels can streamline the tasks of a crisis management center. Its key functions include:
- Swift handling of incoming calls, including call holding, call forwarding, and teleconferencing, which significantly streamlines the work of crisis dispatchers. They can also view a list of waiting calls, allowing them to assess the current workload at the center.
- Management of SMS and radio messages: the platform allows for the creation of ready-made templates and the selection and creation of recipient groups for the message.
- Comprehensive documentation of all calls and messages flowing through the center. This feature enables subsequent reporting and playback of recorded calls, whether from mobile phones, landlines, or two-way radios, which is often crucial in determining the course of emergency events.
- Integration with a voice bot that can receive reports, gather all the necessary preliminary information, and then transfer it to a crisis management center employee who is familiar with the emergency situation and the location of the report, enabling them to take appropriate action.
The importance of crisis dispatchers' work
Although the work of crisis management centers may seem invisible on a daily basis, it is difficult to imagine the functioning of a country without them. In the face of daily traffic accidents, adverse weather conditions, or environmental contamination, the work of crisis dispatchers is invaluable. An emergency communication facility equipped with a platform that integrates all contact means can respond more quickly to a given circumstance and take necessary actions. Moreover, the ability to operate the platform in a web browser allows for work from any location with an internet connection.
