German emergency services resist federal reform of 112 rescue system

The Bremen fire department operates the 112 emergency number with a standardized call‑query protocol used in over 50 countries, handling around 140,000 calls annually. It also offers the nora app, which assists users with speech or hearing impairments by transmitting their location and allowing text‑based communication with dispatchers.

On European Emergency Call Day, the German Association of Rural Districts (DLT) warned against a federal overhaul that would shift the rescue service from a municipal safety function to a purely medical one. DLT President Dr. Achim Brötel emphasized the need for integrated collaboration between fire, disaster protection and emergency medical services and rejected plans to place the rescue service under the health insurance framework (SGB V).