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Emergency telephone number

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Many countries' public telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number, sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or occasionally the emergency services number, that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency telephone number may differ from country to country. It is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit.

Use of emergency numbers

The number is intended to be used only in an emergency.

For routine and non-urgent enquiries emergency services generally provide traditional telephone numbers for contact. These are normally listed in the local telephone directory. In the United Kingdom, for example, the number 0845 46 47 can also be dialled for NHS Direct, a non-emergency medical service. Routine and non-urgent calls as well as hoax or prank calls to emergency services numbers waste the time of both dispatchers and emergency responders and can endanger lives. False reports of emergencies are often prosecuted as crimes.

In the North American Numbering Plan, 3-1-1 is the new urgent telephone number, that can be used to contact the police and other services to report minor incidents and historic crime that does not endanger life, to avoid overloading 9-1-1. Some cities also use 3-1-1 for contacting other municipal government services, or to report situations like power outages.

File:SOS112.gif
SOS 112

The telephone number 1-1-2 is the international emergency telephone number for GSM mobile phone networks. It does not necessarily work on other mobile phone technologies. In all EU (European Union) countries it is also the emergency telephone number for both mobile and fixed-line telephones. [1]

In countries where 1-1-2 is not the standard emergency telephone number, GSM telephone users who make calls to 1-1-2 generally have their calls redirected to the local emergency telephone number, if it exists. GSM telephone users in this situation should contact their service provider for emergency information applicable to their service. Most GSM mobile phones can dial 1-1-2 calls even when the phone keyboard is locked.

Configuration and operation

The emergency telephone number is a special case in the country's telephone number plan. In the past, calls to the emergency telephone number were often routed over special dedicated circuits. Though with the advent of electronic exchanges these calls are now often mixed with ordinary telephone traffic, they still may be able to access circuits that other traffic cannot. Often the system is set up so that once a call is made to an emergency telephone number, it must be answered. Should the caller abandon the call, the line may still be held until the emergency service answers and releases the call.

An emergency telephone number call may be answered by either a telephone operator or an emergency service dispatcher. The nature of the emergency (police, fire, medical) is then determined. If the call has been answered by a telephone operator, they then connect the call to the appropriate emergency service, who then dispatches the appropriate help. In the case of multiple services being needed on a call, the most urgent need must be determined, with other services being called in as needed.

Emergency dispatchers are trained to control the call in order to provide help in an appropriate manner. The emergency dispatcher may find it necessary to give urgent advice in life-threatening situations. Some dispatchers have special training in telling people how to perform first aid or CPR.

In many parts of the world, an emergency service can identify the telephone number that a call has been placed from. This is normally done using the system that the telephone company uses to bill calls, making the number visible even for users who have unlisted numbers or who block caller ID. For an individual fixed landline telephone, the caller's number can often be associated with the caller's address and therefore their location. However, with mobile phones and business telephones, the address may be a mailing address rather than the caller's location. The latest "enhanced" systems, such as Enhanced 911, are able to provide the physical location of mobile telephones. This is often specifically mandated in a country's legislation.

Emergency numbers by region

There is no world-wide emergency number.

Africa

Australasia

  • Australia: 000 On a mobile phone, dial 112 or 000, remembering to tell the operator what state you are in. If you have a textphone/TTY, you can use the National Relay Service on 106. SES units in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia can be contacted on 132 500. In Western Australia, the number is 1300 130 039. In the ACT, the number is 6207 8455. In Queensland, Tasmania and Northern Territory, you will have to call the individual units.
  • Fiji: Dial 911 for fire or ambulance or 917 for police
  • New Zealand: 111
  • Vanuatu: 112

Asia

Europe

File:SOS112.gif
[SOS 112]
used in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom (sources European Radiocommunications Office, European Union, SOS 112 Europe)
  • Austria: Fire: 122, Police: 133, Ambulance: 144
  • Belgium: 112, Fire and Medical: 100, Police: 101, Missing Children: 110 Child focus, Mental problems/Suicide: 106 Tele-onthaal
  • Bulgaria: Medical: 150, Fire: 160, Police: 166
  • Croatia: 112, Police: 92, Fire department: 93, Ambulance: 94, Road help: 987
  • Cyprus: 112, 199
  • Czech Republic: Emergency medical service: 155, Fire: 150, Police: 158
  • Denmark: Police, fire, medical, environment: 112
  • Estonia: 112, Police: 110
  • Finland: 112, Police: 10022
  • France: 112, Emergency medical service (Samu): 15, Police: 17, Fire and rescue: 18
  • Germany: Police: 110, Fire & Ambulance: 112
  • Greece: Emergency (all types, multilingual): 112, Police: 100, Emergency medical service: 166, Fire: 199, Forest fire: 191, Coastal guard emergency intervention: 108, Counter-narcotics immediate intervention: 109
  • Hungary: 112, Police: 107, Fire and rescue: 105, Ambulance: 104
  • Ireland: 999/112
  • Italy: Police (and general emergency): 113, Carabinieri (military police): 112, Medical emergency: 118, Fire or Disaster: 115
  • Latvia: 112, Fire and rescue: 01, Police: 02, Medical: 03, Gas leaks: 04
  • Lithuania: Single Emergency Call Number: 112, Fire: 01*, 101*, 011*, Police: 02*, 102*, 022* Medical: 03*, 103*, 033*. NOTE. The numbers for separate emergency services differ in distinct telecommunications networks, whereas 112 available in all networks.
  • Netherlands: General emergency: 112 or 911; Police (non-urgent such as road accidents or reports of a non-emergency crime): 0900-8844; spoken emergency information during a state of emergency for western North Brabant: 0800-02002010. Every region of the country also has a local emergency line for medical help, dealing with medical emergencies which are an emergency and serious but not serious enough to be dealt with the national emergency telephone number.
  • Norway: Fire and rescue: 110, Police: 112, Medical: 113
  • Poland: Medical: 999, Fire: 998, Police: 997
  • Portugal: General emergency: 112, Fire: 117
  • Romania: 112 for all emergencies (fire, police, medical emergency, severe road, rail and air accidents, gas leaks). Mountain Rescue is usually beyond the scope of 112 and each Mountain Rescue Station has its own number (a call to 112 will usually get you through to Mountain Rescue, but is far slower than calling directly).
  • Russia: Fire (also, general emergency): 01, Police (Militsia): 02, Medical emergency: 03, Gas leaks: 04
  • Serbia and Montenegro: Police: 92, Fire department: 93, Ambulance: 94
  • Slovakia: 112, Emergency medical service: 155, Fire: 150, Police: 158
  • Spain: 112, Police: 091, Civil Guard: 062, Fire: 080 or 085, Medical: 061
  • Switzerland: Fire: 118, Police: 117, Medical: 144, Poison: 145, Road emergency: 140, Psychological support (free and anonymous): 143, Psychological support for teens and children (free and anonymous): 147, Helicopter air-rescue (Rega): 1414 or by radio on 161.300 MHz. The European emergency number 112 is also supported, and is the one recommended to be used from cellphones.
  • Turkey: Fire: 110, Police: 155, Medical: 112, Gendarmerie: 156, Coast Guard: 158
  • Ukraine: Fire: 01, Police (Militsia): 02, Medical emergency: 03, Gas leaks: 04
  • United Kingdom: 112 or 999 for fire, police, ambulance, coastguard, mountain rescue, cave rescue or nuclear emergency.

North America

South America

Middle East

History of emergency services numbers

The first emergency number system to be deployed was in London, United Kingdom on June 30, 1937. When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in the exchange to attract an operator's attention. It was gradually extended to cover the entire country, but it was not until the late 1960s that the facility was available from every telephone.

In the days of loop disconnect dialing, attention was devoted to making the numbers difficult to dial accidentally by making them involve long sequences of pulses, such as with the UK 999 emergency number. This contrasts to modern times, where repeated sequences of numbers are easily dialed on mobile phones, particularly as mobile phones will dial an emergency number while the keypad is locked or even without a SIM card. Some people in the UK have reported accidentally dialing 112 by loop-disconnect while working on extension telephone wiring, and point to this as a disadvantage of that number.

The first North American emergency number was the 999 system deployed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1959 at the urging of Stephen Juba, mayor of Winnipeg at the time. The first US 911 emergency phone system was set up in Alabama in 1968, but it was not in use everywhere until the 1970s. To standardize the number across most of the NANP, Canada switched to using 911 as its emergency number in 1972. (Some Caribbean islands use 999.)

In France, in 1928, telephone operators had to connect the calls for emergency reasons even when the phone service was closed. In 1929, an automatic connection system was set up, initially for less than 10,000 people in Paris, allowing them to dial 18 to reach the fire brigade. The service was not widespread until the 1970s.

The CEPT recommended the use of 112 in 1972. The European Union subsequently adopted the 112 number as a standard on 29 July, 1991. It is now a valid emergency number throughout EU countries and in many other CEPT countries. It sometimes works in parallel with other emergency numbers in countries such as Britain and Ireland.

Emergency numbers and mobile/wireless/cellular telephones

The GSM mobile phone standard includes 112 as an emergency number, no matter what other local emergency number are applicable. This is valuable for foreign travelers, who may not know a local one.

Using 112 instead of another emergency number on a GSM phone may be advantageous, since 112 is recognized by all GSM phones as an emergency number. A phone dialing a different emergency service's number may refuse to roam onto another network, leading to trouble if there is no access to the home network. Dialing 112 forces the phone to make the call on any network possible. However, some GSM networks (e.g. in Belgium, Spain, UK, Liechtenstein, Australia) are reported to connect emergency calls only from phones with a valid account on their network, e.g. customers and roamers only. Some GSM networks will not accept emergency calls from phones without a SIM card, or a SIM card without credit.

In the United States, the FCC requires networks to route every mobile-phone 911 call to an emergency service call center, including phones that have never had service, or whose service has lapsed. As a result, there are programs that provide donated used mobile phones to victims of domestic violence and others especially likely to need emergency services.

Mobile phones generate additional problems for emergency operators, as many phones will allow emergency numbers to be dialed even while the keypad is locked. Since mobile phones are typically carried in pockets and small bags, the keys can easily be depressed accidentally, leading to unintended calls. A system has been developed in the UK which connects calls where the caller is silent to an automated system, leaving more operators free to handle genuine emergency calls. [2]

See also

Notes

  1. Council Decision 91/396/EEC of 29 July 1991 on the introduction of a single European emergency call number, OJ L217, 6.8.91, p.31.
112
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