China's first coordinated urban emergency response system able to
connect anxious callers to any service needed started its trial
operation on November 12.
Local officials said the system, which extends to homes in a
10,000-square-kilometers area in urban
Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south
China, integrates several emergency phone call numbers for police,
firefighters and medical doctors into a single service.
The system, which cost 160 million yuan (about US$ 20 million), was
produced by US electronics manufacturer Motorola.
Experts said local residents can dial any of the common emergency
numbers--110,119 and 120--to be connected to a dispatcher, who then
relays the caller's information to the proper department.
In
most Chinese cities, each emergency service has its own number and
there are no crossovers, which has proved confusing for some
residents.
The system features computer-aided dispatch equipment which can
provide geographic information, telecommunications, an information
technology network, wireless communications, voice recording,
big-screen display, vehicle positioning information, and
on-the-spot satellite image transmission.
(China
Daily November 13, 2001)