You should always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
Always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life is at risk. Examples of medical emergencies include (but are not limited to): chest pain. difficulty in breathing.
When shouldn't you call 999? Do not call 999 if the medical issue is not life-threatening, and therefore does not require additional medical assistance straight away.
Call 999 from a landline
If you don't speak or answer questions and the operator can only hear background noise, they'll transfer your call to the police. If you replace the handset, the landline may remain connected for 45 seconds in case you pick it up again.
When you dial 999, the first person you speak to is the Operator who will ask you which service you need. If you ask for an ambulance, you will be put through to your local ambulance service. An emergency call handler will then take the call and will ask you questions so that help can be arranged.
If you have dialled 999 by mistake or if a child has been playing with the phone and has dialled 999 by mistake please stay on the line and speak to the operator, you can then tell them it was a mistake.
Triple Zero (000) is Australia's main emergency service number. You should call 000 if you need urgent help from police, fire or ambulance services.
If you can't speak English, you can call triple zero (000) and ask for Police, Fire or Ambulance. Stay on the line and they will organise a translator. If you are unable to speak, you will be directed to an interactive voice response (IVR) unit.
Text 999
When you have no signal, not even a 999/112 call will work, but a text might. Sending a text requires much less signal strength and the phone will keep tying to send the text for a short period meaning there is greater chance of the message getting through if you are moving or in an area of variable reception.
There have been more than 100,000 calls to the emergency line every day for over a month and this is placing significant pressure on control rooms. On an average day the number of calls to 999 would be around 90,000.
Some of the most ridiculous 999 calls made to the emergency services have been revealed. Among them was someone who had eaten a mouldy tomato and another who had got their plaster cast wet. One person with an earring lodged inside their ear asked for a lift' to hospital while another dialled 999 for a paper cut.
112: This operates exactly the same as 999 and directs you to exactly the same emergency call centre. The difference is that 112 works from any mobile phone from ANYWHERE in the world.
75% of Category A (immediately life-threatening) calls should receive a response within 8 minutes. If a Category A patient requires transport, this should arrive within 19 minutes of the request for transport being made, 95% of the time.
In an emergency situation, you need help fast.
The Relay UK service lets deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired people in the UK alert police, ambulance, fire, or coastguard services by either calling via a relay assistant or texting a message to 999 using our emergencySMS service.
When you call 999, an operator will ask you which emergency service you require. In a medical emergency, ask for the ambulance service and you will be put through to one of our call-takers.
You probably don't need ambulance transport, but you should take someone straight to A&E if they have: A fever and are floppy and lethargic – but conscious. Abdominal pain. A bleeding wound that will probably need stitches or gluing, if they have amputated a finger or if have something embedded in the wound..
Can I call 999 using Wi-Fi Calling? You can call the emergency services on 999, but they can't identify your location. You should use a landline if you can - only use Wi-Fi Calling as a last resort. You should never rely on Wi-Fi Calling as your only way to call 999.
After the call ends, your iPhone will ping the emergency service with your current location, unless you choose to cancel. If Location Services is off, it will temporarily turn on. If your location changes, your contacts will get an update, and you'll get a notification about 10 minutes later.
If you find yourself in a situation where it is not safe to speak, you can also text 999. This process can take longer than calling them directly. However, you must already be registered with the emergency SMS service. To sign up for the service text 'register' to 999 and you will be sent some instructions to follow.
PLEASE NOTE: The UK and American emergency numbers (999 and 911) will NOT generally work on Australian phones.
911. You cannot call 911. This number is used by emergency services in the United States and can't be used to call emergency services in Australia.
At present, the only way to contact Triple Zero is by voice calling – you cannot send a text or SMS to Triple Zero. 106 is a text-based emergency number for people who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment.
Within Australia, 000 is a free call from most telephones.
This number connects you to Police, Fire or Ambulance services. Call to this service are free and can be made from any fixed or mobile phone. You should call this number if: someone seriously injured or in need of urgent medical help.
Pick up the receiver, press the red emergency call button and dial 119. Newer public phones do not have an emergency call button, but do allow you to call for help by simply dialing 119.