Large Scale Power Failure Becomes Threat for Public Safety TETRA Communications in Amsterdam
During a large-scale power failure in Amsterdam earlier this year, critical emergency services have failed. The power failure itself was the result of improperly designed security at a major high voltage station.
Emergency generators at the Amsterdam Slotervaart Hospital and the regional traffic control of the train track did not start up. Also the central 112 center, that is based in Driebergen, missed 369 callers and the Amsterdam ambulance control room did not answer nine urgent emergency calls transferred by the system in Driebergen. In addition, transmitters of large telecom providers did not work for two hours and as a result of this, making mobile calls and calls to the Dutch 112 emergency number, became increasingly difficult. This is evidenced by a reconstruction that was done by a major Dutch newspaper, NRC.
According to the municipality of Amsterdam, the continuity of C2000 (Public Safety TETRA Network in The Netherlands), the communication system for emergency services, has been "under threat". The N2 C2000 power stations in Amsterdam worked just long enough to bridge the power outage. However during the failure, the National Police did not have sufficient emergency power units to provide all nine masts of bak-up power.
Because the power outage occured early in the morning (at 04:19) people could take it into account. If the faillure would have occured later in the day, it would have led to an even greater disturbance.
Nvertheless, the Health Care Inspectorate investigates one death that morning that might have caused by the inaccessibility of 112.
Note: The Netherlands has one of the most reliable electricity facilities in the world. But that increases also social vulnerability if the power goes out. Not only crisis facilities dependent on electricity. Basic facilities such as transport, heating, communication and education also work hardly without a proper working electricity grid. That dependence is getting bigger when digitization increases as well.
