Brussels fire brigade to view smartphone video footage during emergency calls

Anyone calling the Brussels fire brigade's emergency number will now be able to send live images of the incident via their smartphone.

“This new technology allows us to immediately drive to the right place, with the appropriate resources,” said brigade spokesman Walter Derieuw.

"When you call 112 to report a fire, you may be asked if you want to give access to your mobile phone's camera.

"The operator will first ask for your agreement, and then you will be sent a link on your smartphone.

"If you press accept, this opens your camera and the emergency services can see the situation at the scene on a screen at the emergency centre while you keep talking."

Once a caller consents to share images via their camera, further instructions can be given to help emergency personnel assess the situation.

“We could ask you to tilt your phone to show the top of the building, then to the left or right, to see if there are any additional dangers,” Derieuw explained.

For now, the technology will only be used in fire interventions where it can be useful to see images.

The idea is to allow responding personnel to adequately prepare for their response and also get to the right spot in cases when the caller is not sure of their exact location.

The video footage during the rescue operation can also be forwarded to any fire engines on the way, so they can tactically prepare for what they will find.

“The idea of livestreaming was adopted from abroad and the Brussels fire brigade is so far the only Belgian rescue zone with this option,” Derieuw said.

“The technology has been tested for a few months and is now live and can therefore be used 24 hours a day.”