It starts at midnight in full operation at 112

Changing the time and entering 2020 starts at midnight and the full operation of the emergency number 112

At midnight on 31 December 2019, in addition to the new year, it will bring the full operation of the European emergency number 112. This number has been in trial operation for some time, but will now be fully operational.

You will be able to notify the Civil Protection through this if you are in danger or if you need any help, but the State will also be able to notify you in case of emergency.

Its call centers General Secretariat for Civil Protection, after January 1, 2020 will be in full operation 24 hours, 7 days a week.

The complete operation of 112 means that in your calls to this number there will be the possibility of automatic geolocation of the caller. Also, the center of the "new 112" will now employ 100 people and thus will be able to receive many calls. Each shift will have OTE answering machines and liaison officers of the Fire Brigade, the Hellenic Police, the Coast Guard, EKAB, while there will be a shift coordinator.

112 is a European number which means that citizens can call 112 for free from anywhere in Greece and the EU, but also in other non-EU countries, such as Switzerland and South Africa. 112 connects the caller, depending on the emergency he reports, to the Police, the Fire Brigade, EKAB, the Coast Guard, the National Telephone Line SOS 1056 and the European Hotline for Missing Children 116000.

You can call it free of charge, from a mobile or landline phone, with or without a SIM card, or even from public payphones without having to insert a calling card. You do not need to have a signal from the telephone service you are connected to to call 112. The call will be forwarded by any signal service in your area. Telephone calls to 112 are answered immediately by specially trained operators in Greek, English and French.

Citizens can also call 112 in an alternative way, such as by text, fax, or email to [email protected]

As mentioned above, in addition to outgoing calls to this, 112 will be able to alert you to an imminent or imminent catastrophic event or dangerous situation that poses an immediate threat to life, if of course you are in the danger zone.

Those who have a smartphone will receive a written warning message from the cell near them, regardless of which company it belongs to. The message will be accompanied by a distinctive alarm sound (different from any other device alert sound). What is required is that mobile users have firmware (firmware) updated by the manufacturer on their machines.

Those who do not have a smart phone can go to the website of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, where there is a special service for 112, to register and state how they want to receive notifications. This can be either a text message, a voice alarm on a landline, or an email message that can be read on a cell phone, tablet, landline or laptop.