Marseilles (AFP)

The European 112 finally adopted in France?

From the start of 2022, a single emergency number will be tested in a large area of ​​France, for two years, to assess the "most effective method", Emmanuel Macron announced at the French firefighters congress.

"Three types of platforms bringing together emergency numbers and permanence of care" will be tested, "according to various methods, to improve the care of victims", and this "from the beginning of next year", insisted the chief of the State Saturday in Marseille, the day after a demonstration of firefighters in Paris to obtain more resources.

"In our country which loves theoretical debates", described the president, "we will try the path of pragmatism, and maybe we will collectively invent a solution that we had not thought of."

The experiment will be carried out in "a defense zone", indicated Mr. Macron, or "a large region".

At its end, "we will methodically assess which is the most effective method", in terms of "response time and quality of support for users" in particular.

"With the 112, it is so easy to achieve what all European countries have succeeded", had launched the president of the firefighters of France, Grégory Allione, in his speech, before the head of state: "Twenty departments have already managed to collect emergency numbers "and" did not wait for the law to be smart ".

With AFP, before the opening of the congress, Mr. Allione had denounced these useless calls to the firefighters, wondering if it is really "logical to move a vehicle all screaming sirens to arrive and find a pregnant woman whose suitcase is ready for the hospital, with the husband following behind in his car ".

- "A European vision" -

The statements of Mr. Macron on Saturday in fact formalize the agreement found in early October, in a joint committee, by the deputies and senators, on the Matras bill.

Objective of this text: "to consolidate" the French civil security model which is largely based on volunteering, 80% of the 250,000 firefighters not being professionals.

The consensus reached by the parliamentarians had satisfied the Samu-Urgences association of France, according to which it will allow "to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Service of access to the care (SAS)" vis-a-vis the single number.

The principle of a "single emergency call number" is strongly opposed by some doctors of the Samu, according to whom it would involve "a loss of chance" for the patients.

On this topic, the emergency physicians of the Samu had been supported by the Hospital Federation of France.

The President of the Republic also announced a revaluation of the reimbursement of ambulance deficiencies, to at least 200 euros instead of 124 euros currently, as well as a reform of ambulance guards, in order to reduce the number of these deficiencies.

French President Emmanuel Macron (l) receives a firefighter's helmet from the hands of the President of the French firefighters Grégory Allione during the closing ceremony of the 127th National Congress of French Firefighters in Marseille, October 16, 2021 Pascal POCHARD- CASABIANCA POOL / AFP

"The firefighters are too often called upon by the emergency hospital services, when no private ambulance is available", noted the president: "And the problem is that this situation reduces your capacity for action in the event of disaster, ”he added.

But all the demands of the firefighters have not yet been satisfied, at the level of the bonus of pensions for example: "After 20 years of civic engagement, 488 euros per year ... I think that civic engagement (as a firefighter volunteer) deserves better measure ", pleaded Grégory Allione in his speech in front of the firefighters.

Announcing the renewal of the entire fleet of civil security helicopters, as well as the order for two additional helicopters from the start of 2022, Mr. Macron also underlined the need for a "European vision" in terms of the organization of help, with "a European solidarity in the emergency".

The Head of State thus underlined the rise of the Rescue Plan of the European Union, with the financing of two planes 90% by the EU.

© 2021 AFP