Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 September 2020
178. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Climate Action and Communication Networks his plans to facilitate greater cooperation between Eircode and the Loc8 code in the interest of public safety in view of the fact that Loc8 has been used by the National Ambulance Service since 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23568/20]
View answerCapita Business Support Services Ireland, trading as Eircode, was awarded a 10 year contract in December 2013 to develop, implement, maintain and promote the use of the National Postcode System "Eircode".
Shortly after the launch of Eircode, the National Ambulance Service (NAS) integrated Eircodes into their Computer Aided Dispatch system which means that the patient’s address and the position of the nearest available ambulance can be accurately pinpointed, using the Eircode, on a Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) digital map, enabling an ambulance to be quickly and accurately routed to someone in need of medical help.
The NAS continue to install their ambulances vehicles with Digital Mobile Data Systems that allows responding crews to have the call details sent to their MDT Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) screens together with the Eircode and visual location data in an OSI map format to assist with ambulance arrival at the correct location. The inclusion of Eircode in the text alert from NAS to the Cardiac First Responders (CFR) greatly assists the CFR to respond directly by the fastest route and the NAS actively encourage people who are seeking an emergency ambulance to have their Eircode available to pass it on to the call taker.
More broadly, the Deputy might be interested to know that in October 2017 a new emergency mobile phone precise location service was launched that greatly assists the emergency services in determining the exact location of people in need that call 999 or 112.The Advanced Mobile Location (AML) is available on both Android and Apple devices and works by automatically finding a phone's GPS co-ordinates and sending them by way of a text message to the Emergency Call Answering Service when a 112 or 999 number is dialled. The co-ordinates are immediately passed to the emergency services in responding and dispatching emergency personnel to callers in need across Ireland. The NAS use AML which plots the mobile location automatically on the call takers OSI map. Approximately 55% of emergency calls from mobile devices have AML data and it is of vital assistance to Emergency Services around the country, but particularly in rural areas.
In addition since March 2018 under EU law all new models of cars sold must be equipped with eCall technology. eCall is an emergency call generated either manually by the occupants inside the car by pushing a button or automatically through activation of sensors inside the car following a crash. When activated in Ireland, the in-vehicle eCall device will establish an emergency call carrying both voice and data directly to the Emergency Call Answering Service who will transfer the call to the required emergency service. Where no voice is carried on the call, eCall technology allows for the data to be transferred directly to the National Ambulance Service.
Operational matters and the use of location based services to dispatch ambulances is a matter for the NAS and not one in which I, as Minister, have a statutory function.
