Emergency telephone number

In many countries the public telephone network has 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 number differs 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. In the European Union and others "112" was introduced as a common emergency call number during the 1990s, and as the GSM standard it is now a well known mobile telephone emergency number across the globe alongside the North American "911".

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; they can be assisted by computer aided call handling systems (CACH). 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.

History of emergency services numbers

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Operator assistance

When an emergency happened in the pre-dial (or "manual") telephone era, the user simply picked up the telephone receiver and waited for the operator to answer "number, please?" The user responded with "get me the police," "get me the fire service," or "I need an ambulance/doctor." Even in large cities, it was seldom necessary to ask for these services by number.

In small towns, operators frequently provided additional services, knowing where to reach doctors, veterinarians, and law enforcement personnel at all times. Frequently, the operator was also responsible for activating the town's fire alarm.

When manual switching systems began to be replaced by automatic, or "dial" systems, there was frequently concern among users that the very personalized emergency service provided by manual operators would be lost.

Because numbers were different for every exchange, callers either had to dial the operator or look up the telephone number. An example of this was Auckland, New Zealand before the introduction of 111 in the 1960s – the city had 40 exchanges, all with different emergency numbers, and finding the telephone number for the local exchange would require having to search through the city's 500-page telephone directory.

This problem was at least partially solved in the United States, Canada, and the UK by dialling "0" for the local assistance operator in case of emergency, although faster service could be obtained if the user dialled the full number for the Police or Fire Department. This system remained essentially unchanged throughout most of North America until the 1970s.

Direct-dial numbers

The first emergency number system to be deployed anywhere in the world was in London on 1 July 1937 using the number 999, and this was later extended to cover the entire country. When 999 was dialled, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in the exchange to attract an operator's attention.

Because 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. However in modern times, where repeated sequences of numbers are easily accidentally dialled on mobile phones, this is problematic, as mobile phones will dial an emergency number while the keypad is locked or even without a SIM card. Some people have reported accidentally dialling 112 by loop-disconnect for various technical reasons, including while working on extension telephone wiring, and point to this as a disadvantage of the 112 emergency number, which takes only four loop disconnects to activate.

Southern California Telephone Co. began using 116 as an emergency line for Los Angeles, California in 1946. The emergency number 999 was adopted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1959 at the urging of Stephen Juba, mayor of Winnipeg at the time. The city changed the number to 911 in 1972, in order to be consistent with the newly adopted U.S. emergency number.

The first 911 emergency phone systems went into use in Haleyville, Alabama in 1968. On February 16, 1968, the first-ever 9-1-1 call was placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, from Haleyville City Hall, to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill, at the city's police station. However, 911 systems were not in widespread use until the 1980s when the number 911 was adopted as the standard number across most of the country under the North American Numbering Plan.Template:Citation needed

The implementation of 911 service in the USA was a gradual and haphazard process. Because telephone service boundaries did not always exactly match governmental and other jurisdictional boundaries, a user might dial 911, only to discover that he had been connected to the wrong dispatch center because he had telephone service from one location but lived within the boundaries of another jurisdiction.Template:Citation needed

Electromechanical switching equipment still in use made it difficult to adapt to recognize 911, especially in small towns and rural areas where the call might have to be switched over a considerable distance. For this reason, there are still county sheriff departments that have toll-free "800" area code numbers.Template:Citation needed

Gradually, various problems were overcome; "smart" or "enhanced" 911 systems were developed that not only would display the caller's number and address at the dispatch center but also could be configured so that 911 calls were automatically routed to the correct dispatch center, regardless of what central office the caller was served from. In the United States, most cities have E911 systems either in use, or in their emergency systems design plans.

The rapid replacement of electromechanical switching systems in the 1980s with electronic or digital systems eliminated the problem of older switches that would not recognize 911. At this point, 911 service is available in most of North America, but there is still the occasional small, remote town that does not have it.

In France, many telephone exchanges were closed at night but it was still possible to make emergency calls. An operator had to connect the emergency calls only. In 1913, an automatic system was set up. It made provision for calling the police by dialling 17 and the fire brigade by dialling 18. As more manual telephone exchanges were converted to dial operation, more and more subscribers had access to these special numbers. 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 works in parallel with other local emergency numbers in about 2/3 of EU states.

In January 2008, the Internet Engineering Task Force released a set of RFC documents pertaining to emergency calls in IP networks.

Emergency numbers and mobile telephones

Mobile phones can be used in countries with different emergency numbers. A traveller visiting a foreign country does not have to know the local emergency numbers, however. The mobile phone and the SIM card have a preprogrammed list of emergency numbers. When the user tries to set up a call using an emergency number known by a GSM or 3G phone, the special emergency call setup takes place. The actual number is not even transmitted into the network, but the network redirects the emergency call to the local emergency desk. Most GSM mobile phones can dial emergency calls even when the phone keyboard is locked, the phone is without a SIM card, or an emergency number is entered instead of the PIN.

Most GSM mobile phones have 112, 999 and 911 as pre-programmed emergency numbers that are always available. The SIM card issued by the operator can contain additional country-specific emergency numbers that can be used even when roaming abroad. The GSM network can also update the list of well-known emergency numbers when the phone registers to it.

Using an emergency number recognized by a GSM phone like 112 instead of another emergency number may be advantageous, since GSM phones and networks give special priority to emergency calls. A phone dialing an emergency service number not recognized by it may refuse to roam onto another network, leading to trouble if there is no access to the home network. Dialing a known emergency number like 112 forces the phone to try the call with any available network.

On some networks a GSM phone without a SIM card may be used to make emergency calls and most GSM phones accept a larger list of emergency numbers without SIM card, such as 112, 911, 118, 119, 000, 110, 08, and 999. However, some GSM networks will not accept emergency calls from phones without a SIM card, or even require a SIM card that has credit. For example, Latin American networks typically do not allow emergency calls without a SIM. Also, GSM phones sold in some countries like Singapore do not accept 112 as an emergency number even if they have a SIM card inserted.

The GSM phones may regard some phone numbers with one or two digits as special service codes. It might be impossible to make an emergency call to numbers like 03 with a GSM phone.

In the United States, the FCC requires networks to route every mobile-phone and payphoneTemplate:Verify source 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 to connect calls where the caller is sent to an automated system, leaving more operators free to handle genuine emergency calls.

Emergency numbers

Asia

Country	Police	Ambulance	Fire	Notes
Timothy North	112 or 999			Mobile phones - 112
Malaysia	112 or 999			Mobile phones - 112
Singapore	999	995		Mobile phones - 112, Non-emergency ambulance - 1777, Police hotline - 1800 255 0000, Traffic police - 6547 0000.
Thailand	191	1669	199	Mobile phones - 112

Europe

The most common European emergency number 112 (following Directive 2002/22/EC – Universal Service Directive) and also standard on GSM mobile phones. 112 is used in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom in addition to their other emergency numbers.

Country	Police	Ambulance	Fire	Notes
Template:Flag	112			Police – 133; Ambulance – 144; Fire – 122; Gas leaks – 128; Alpine rescue – 140; On-duty medical unit – 141; crisis-hotline – 142; support for children and teens – 147.
Template:Flag	112			Police – 101; Ambulance, Fire – 100; Missing children – 116000; Mental problems/suicide – 106; Red Cross – 105.
Template:Flag	112			Police – 158; Ambulance – 155; Fire – 150; Municipal police – 156.
Template:Flag	112
Template:Flag	112			Police – 17; Hospital-based Ambulance (SAMU) – 15; Fire Service-based Ambulance, Fire – 18; 115 for homeless. 114 for deaf or mute people (FAX or SMS only, connects to 18, 17 or 15).
Template:Flag	112			Police - 110.
Template:Flag	112 or 199			Fire, Ambulance – 190
Template:Flag	112			Police – 100; Ambulance – 166; Fire – 199; Forest fire – 1591; Coast guard emergency intervention – 108; Counter-narcotics immediate intervention – 109; Tourist police – 171; Emergency social aid – 197.
Template:Flag	112			112 works only from mobile phones; fixed line phones must call the local police or hospital.
Template:Flag	112			Police – 107; Ambulance – 104; Fire – 105.
Template:Flag	112			Police in Reykjavík Capital Area Non-urgent – 4441000. Also 911 is redirected to 112 for GSM mobile phones.
Template:Flagicon Republic of Ireland	112 or 999
Template:Flag	112			Ambulance – 118; Fire – 115; (State Police) – 113; (Carabinieri) – 112; (Forest Service) – 1515; Guardia di Finanza (Customs/Financial Police) – 117; Coast guard – 1530.911 is redirected to 112.
Template:Flag	112			Police (non-urgent) – 0900-8844. Animal police: 144
Template:Flag	112			Police – 997; Ambulance – 999; Fire – 998; Municipal police – 986; natural gas/LPG emergencies – 992.
Template:Flag	112			Forest fire – 117; Health 24 – 808 242 424; SOS Child – 800 202 651; SOS Pregnant – 808 201 139; Poisoning – 808 250 143; Civil Protection – 214 247 100; Info – 118; Social Emergency – 144
Template:Flag	112
Template:Flag	112
Template:Flag	112			Police – 117; Ambulance – 144; Fire – 118; 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; Air rescue (Air Glaciers) (in Valais only) – 1415.
Template:Flag	112			Police - 155, Fire - 110.
Template:Flag	112 or 999			In 2006 101 was made available as a non-emergency number for police (and in some areas local authorities) in England and Wales. 111 was made available (in England and Wales) as a non-emergency number for health issues. 101 has been introduced in Scotland too during 2013. 999 and 112 can be used from any phone. Deaf people and people who are unable to speak can text 999 for the emergency services (after registration by sending a text message with the word 'Register' to 999, details at www.emergencysms.org.uk). 999 was first introduced on 30 June 1937 in London.

Australia and Oceania

Country	Police	Ambulance	Fire	Notes
Template:Flag	112			From a mobile phone – 112 or 000. Other emergency numbers, such as 911, are redirected, but 999 is not. Template:Citation needed State Emergency Service (ACT, VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, WA) – 132 500; From a Textphone/TTY call the National Relay Service on 106; Non Emergency – Police Assistance Line – 131 444; (NSW, QLD, SA, WA, NT, TAS, ACT); Crime Stoppers – 1800 333 000; Threats to national security – 1800 123 400;
Template:Flag	111			*555 traffic (from mobile phones only) 911 and 112 both redirect to the 111 service if dialed from a GSM mobile. 000 and 999 plays a pre-recorded message advising the caller to hang up and call 111. 0800 161616 Deaf TTY 0800 161610 deaf fax 111 deaf SMS (registered mobile phones only) 0800 555 111 Crime Stoppers

North America

Country	Police	Ambulance	Fire	Notes
Template:Flag	911			Non-emergency 311 in certain areas. Some rural areas still lack 911 service. 112 is redirected to 911 on GSM mobile phones. *677 connects to the Ontario Provincial Police within the province of Ontario and *4141 links to the Sûreté du Québec in the province of Quebec.
Template:Flag	911			Police - 066; Ambulance - 065; Fire - 068. "066" can be used as a general emergency number.
Template:Flag	911			Various services available through regional or national N11 codes (e.g.: 311 non-emergency police or city services) in certain areas.

See also

• Aeronautical Emergency Communications System Plan
• Amateur radio emergency communications
• E112
• eCall
• Emergency telephone
• Enhanced 911
• In case of emergency (ICE) entry in the mobile phone book.
• National Emergency Number Association (NENA)

References

• Mobile Reference (2007) "Chapter:History of emergency services numbers"
• David M. Cutler (2000) "The Changing Hospital Industry: Comparing Not-for-Profit and For-Profit" p. 118

External links

• SOS1.tel, Mobile-Friendly Emergency Phone Numbers International Directory
• 112 – The European emergency number
• National Emergency Number Association (NENA)
• European Emergency Number Association (EENA)
• The Norwegian National Centre on Emergency Communication in Health (KoKom)
• Travel Savvy

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