Individuals with speech or hearing impairments and those who don’t speak Dutch or English can now connect with emergency services around the Netherlands with a handy app!
The 112NL app, which is available to download for Android and IOS devices, can be used to connect with the police, ambulance, or fire brigade through one simple interface. A video by the Dutch national emergency control room explains how this works.
Users can set up their profiles on the app by indicating their personal characteristics (name, mobile phone number, whether they have trouble speaking or hearing) and choosing their preferred language for the chat function from a list of 109 available languages, reports RTL Nieuws.
In cases of emergency, the app will automatically share the location and the individual’s preferences with the emergency operator calling or chatting with them from the control room, allowing the emergency services to help faster. 🚨
In development
Further helpful functions will be added to the 112NL app according to the police release.
In the future, the app will include the ability to send images and video materials and have an “I can’t talk” button, with more modifications to look forward to based on users’ experiences.
The police ask users not to test the app after installation, as “misuse of 112 is punishable. Therefore, do not test the app after installation, you will then keep the line busy for people in need.”
Will you be downloading the 112NL app? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image:Rawpixel/Depositphotos
I live in Amsterdam and tried to download app and it says it’s not available in my country. I live in the Netherlands!!!
Hi Martina, thanks for your comment! Is there a chance your app store could be set to a different country? That might be the reason you can’t download the app even if you live in the Netherlands 🙂 Hope it works out!