1722 received a record number of calls from February 18 to 21
Some 17,796 requests for firefighter assistance were also sent via the electronic counter www.1722.besaid the FPS Interior on Thursday.
The high number of calls to 1722 and 112 also resulted in 48,432 requests for intervention by the fire brigade. The Civil Protection was called in for reinforcement on several occasions. 40,524 requests for intervention were translated in Flanders, 2,104 in Brussels and 5,804 in Wallonia.
The number 1722, which allows people whose life is in danger not to have to wait when calling the emergency number 112, was activated on February 15 and is still active today.
In the event of storms or floods, and when no life is in danger, the FPS Interior asks citizens to call 1722 to request help from the fire brigade. The number 112 is reserved for vital emergencies.
At the height of the Eunice storm, some citizens had to wait longer to get an operator online by calling 1722. This wait was mainly due to the very high number of calls during these few days despite the maximum mobilization of operators to do so. to face.
“It is essential that the emergency number 112 remains available at all times. Unfortunately, we have noticed that many people requesting the emergency number 112 instead of using the number 1722 or, better still, submitting a request via the electronic counter www.1722.be. If the firefighters have not yet arrived, we ask you to be patient and not to call again a few minutes after a call”, underlines the SPF Interior which recalls that the increasing use of the electronic counter www.1722.be aims to reduce calls to emergency centers and to the 1722 number in order to provide better service to citizens.