Emergency services response to eCall System alerts: Observations from 2016–2022 in the National Fire and Rescue System

Abstract

Objective

Analysis of interventions by fire protection units in road traffic incidents alerted by the eCall system between 2016 and 2022.

Materials and Methods

Data from the State Fire Service Decision Support System (SFS DSS), provided by the Operational Planning Office, were used. Events from January 1, 2016, 00:00 to December 31, 2022, 23:59 were analyzed. Quantitative data were described using mean (Mean) and standard deviation (SD). Correlations and differences at a significance level of p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The analysis is anonymous for both victims and officers involved in the interventions.

Results

Between 2016 and 2022, firefighters were alerted by the e-call system 896 times. The shortest average intervention time was 47 ± 37 min and was recorded in 2021. In the comparative analysis of intervention time and factors conditioning the use of the eCall system, it was shown that this time was significantly statistically dependent on the number of cars involved in the incident (p < 0.001), the number of injured persons (p < 0.001), the type of intervention (p < 0.001),), and the occurrence of fuel leakage (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

ECall is a relevant system for reporting accidents and collisions on the road. While it proves reliable in road incidents, a significantly high number of false alarms initiated from eCall requires system refinement to avoid accidental alarms and user education about the possibility of unintentionally sending an alarm signal. The authors predict that as the number of vehicles with the eCall system introduced to the roads increases, so will the number of notifications from this system. Data from the analysis of false reports suggest that mechanics and electricians in facilities performing repairs and maintenance of vehicles with the eCall system may lack the necessary knowledge of the need to deactivate the system before starting work. The number of injured people had no impact on the intervention time, which may prove that the rescue services were properly prepared.

Keywords:

• State fire service
• e-call system
• eCall
• new technologies
• firefighter interventions
• fire and rescue actions

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the Commander-in-Chief of the State Fire Service for consenting to access to data relating to the whole of Poland.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

No funding declared.