The social emergency response unit would support frontline services by handling callouts that the Emergency Response Center does not classify as urgent and that are largely social in nature.

"It may be a case where a person has fallen, no social worker has visited in three, four or five days, the home is cold or someone has ended up outside helpless and the temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius. In addition, the team would provide psychological first aid when needed," said Arne Kailas, head of services at the Estonian Red Cross.

Initially, a social emergency response crew would consist of two Red Cross volunteers with 160 hours of first aid training and additional training in psychological first aid, Kailas added. They have also been trained in lifting techniques, substance abuse issues and how to identify and resolve dangerous situations.

At present, the service has one former ambulance without emergency lights, bearing Red Cross logos.

According to Rein Olesk, adviser to the population protection department at the Ministry of the Interior, the social emergency service could also reduce the workload of police officers and rescuers. For example, police responded 103 times in 2019 to assist people who needed help getting up at home; last year, there were nearly 600 such incidents.

"Responding to these types of events is not part of our core operational duties. At the same time, we all agree that people cannot be left without assistance. If someone has fallen at home and cannot get up on their own, they must be helped. We fully support creating an additional resource in the country to assist in such situations," Olesk said.

In the future, the social emergency service is expected to coordinate with the Emergency Response Center so that suitable callouts can be quickly dispatched to the unit.

"The Emergency Response Center should develop the capability to direct these reports either to local governments or directly to service providers that will begin offering the social emergency service in the future," Olesk added.

The service is set to be piloted in Pärnu County this spring. According to Kailas, the trial period should help answer several questions. For example, the cost of providing such a service is currently unknown, as is who would fund it and how.

Kailas said the goal is to develop the social emergency response into a nationwide service, though it remains unclear whether it would ultimately be provided by municipalities or operate under a centralized national management system.

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