Currently, those seeking help can contact the emergency services via a phone call or SMS message.

But in the future, the Emergency Response Center would like to adopt two-way video calls to provide faster and more accurate assistance. The system could also help in cases where a caller has hearing or speech impairments or incidents of domestic violence.

"The idea is that people would have this available in their default settings, so it wouldn't require them to download any additional application. They could immediately choose a video call, and we could also answer with video, so that the emergency dispatcher can see the person in need of assistance and the scene of the incident," explained Sirli Seegar, social affairs expert at the Emergency Response Center.

She said the European Union requires a two-way service, but Google Android and Apple currently only offer a one-way service and are under no obligation to provide a two-way solution. 

"They offer a solution where we would only see the scene of the incident, but the person in need of assistance would not see the emergency dispatcher. We have to look at and decide which direction to take so that we can offer people a complete solution rather than an incomplete one," Seegar said.

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for negotiations with the technology companies.

Hedi Arukase, head of the population protection department at the Ministry of the Interior, said it is impossible to predict when a two-way video solution might become available.

"We are continuously searching for these solutions. More specifically, we are looking at how and with what technological solutions we could introduce two-way video calls in Estonia in the future. There are technological obstacles, and we are working together to overcome them," she said.

The official added that improving the accessibility of the emergency number 112 is an ongoing effort.

A more realistic development is the ability to exchange text messages with an emergency dispatcher in real time. The plan is to have this ready by the end of the year.

"This means that when a person calls 112, they will also be able to write messages at the same time. And this is not like the way we are used to sending messages on phones, where you compose the entire message, describe the whole need for assistance, and only then send it to the Emergency Response Center. On the contrary, every character appears on the emergency dispatcher's screen at exactly the same moment that the person in need of assistance is typing it," Arukase explained.

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