Waiting times for rescue services in Helsinki still too long

Temporary staff drafted in to bridge gap

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The lack of employees that has plagued Helsinki's rescue services from the start has remained a problem in the summer. Callers have been made to wait for several minutes at worst.
      A worried reader called Helsingin Sanomat, shocked about having had to wait for several minutes for the rescue services to answer. The reader called the rescue services on behalf of a passer-by in bad shape. "Although I did not look at my watch, I was on hold for several minutes", the caller remembers.
     
The new service director of the Emergency Response Centre Jukka Jalasvuori is aware of the problems in the Helsinki rescue services. According to him, the phone lines are the most likely to be jammed when there is an accident in a public place. "When many people call at the same time, only the first ones get through", Jalasvuori says.
      The situation is being remedied. Eighteen short-term employees started work at the beginning of August. The employees have been acquired from the rescue services of other municipalities in the region, as well as from the police.
      "We are close to full strength for the first time", says chief of communications of the Helsinki Rescue Service Jarkko Saulio. "Our goal is to have 12 people on duty on every shift. There have been as few as six employees on duty at a time during the worst times."
      This arrangement is likely to last until the end of September.
     
The rescue workers are also aware of the long waiting times. "There have been other technical difficulties as well. Information about accidents has not always come through to us", says senior fireman Hannu Ennevaara of the Helsinki Rescue Services.
      Esko Koskinen, from the rescue department of the Ministry of the Interior, admits that having to wait for several minutes for the emergency services to pick up is unreasonable. "It does sound like a long time. Calls should be answered in ten seconds."
      The Ministry of the Interior plans to hold a specially tailored course, training employees for working in the capital city area as a more permanent solution. There are still issues with budgeting, for example, that stand in the way.
     
The employees of the emergency services have long been tired of the stress caused by being undermanned.
      "The amount of people on duty should be doubled for things to work smoothly", an anonymous employee states. "When you have your hands full of work, you can only do what you have time for. The stress is so extreme that the employees are exhausted."
      The turnover of employees has been brisk ever since the establishment of the emergency services call-centre. According to an employee, Helsinki has a distinct reputation. Although many new employees were supposed to be hired by the beginning of July, this never happened. "The amount of work is ten times that of other call centres, but the pay is the same", the employee notes.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Lack of personnel risks quality of rescue services in Helsinki (14.2.2006)
  Report suggests Helsinki rescue services at critical level (17.6.2005)

Links:
  City of Helsinki Rescue Department

Helsingin Sanomat