Skyguard’s Service Goes International

Skyguard’s service bypasses the 999 call system (and international equivalents), and instead has direct links into the local Police control room closest to where the incident is occurring, across 36 countries. This can save precious time in getting a localised emergency response to the scene.

Dialing 999 and speaking to an emergency service operator requires more time and effort than simply activating a dedicated alarm button on personal safety device or BlackBerry handset.

999 operators don’t know who is calling, where they are, or why; when answering a response, Skyguard controllers immediately know who it is, exactly where they are, who else to contact and precisely what they want done in the event of an incident. It’s like having your own personalised emergency response.

Callers to 999 often cannot convey accurate and detailed information about their situation; either as a result of panic, fear, duress or pain. Skyguard ensures the emergency services have all the details around an incident and can also make them aware of special circumstances including medical conditions or medication that the user is taking. A duress code word can even be registered on the system, which notifies Skyguard controllers there is an aggressor present, without inflaming the situation.

With 135,491 hoax 999 calls in the UK alone between 2008-09*, hoax calls are a real problem for emergency services call handlers; Skyguard’s service helps take some of the pressure off the 999 system. Skyguard’s experience from working with our Police customers and partners combined with the detailed information we have surrounding each alarm, allows us to minimize false alarms. In the last 12 months, less than 0.5% of all alarms Skyguard has escalated to the emergency services have turned out to be false.
(*as defined within the national incident category list (NICL) for 2008-09 and confirmed by Alan Johnson, Home Secretary in response to a question from Chris Grayling MP on 10th March 2010).

Users cannot dial 999 ‘in advance’ – Skyguard allows users to notify it in advance and stay on the line if they are entering a dangerous or threatening situation and, if they don’t respond in a certain time, an alarm is automatically raised. It’s like having the emergency services by your side wherever you go.

999 operators only report details of an incident to the emergency services; after contacting the emergency services, Skyguard can also call family members, colleagues or follow additional instructions according to procedures tailored to the users’ specific requirements. These details can be updated in real-time 24/7, and changed as often as necessary.

Why not dial 112? 112 is the standardised emergency services number for EU member states, however, this number simply forwards to the country’s 999 system, which poses all the aforementioned limitations. There is no guarantee the operator will speak English, as this is not a stipulation of the service. Despite ongoing promotion to raise awareness of the service by the European Commission, a recent Eurobarometer survey found that only 8% of Britons were aware of the service.