Article:
911 or 112? Emergency Numbers Around the World
In an emergency, getting help quickly can be a matter of life or death. But did you know that the phone number you call changes depending on which country you're in?
Many countries use 911 as the emergency number for the police, ambulance and fire department, including the US, Canada and Mexico.
But in most of the European Union — including Spain, France and Italy — you call 112 for emergency services. Russia and India also use 112. You can call 112 in Australia if you're using a cellphone, but 000 works from any phone.
You can call 112 in the UK too, but 999 is better known — and 999 is also used in Hong Kong, Myanmar and Qatar.
Many countries have different numbers for different services. For example, in Japan you call 110 for the police, and 119 for an ambulance or the fire department. South Korea also uses 119 for an ambulance or fire, but it's 112 for the police. In Seoul, there's also a different number for foreigners with medical emergencies — 1339.
The emergency phone number in most countries is three digits long, but in South Africa, you have to call 10177 for an ambulance or the fire department. The police number is 10111, but you can also call 112 from a cellphone.
It might be easiest to call for help in Kenya. There you can use any of the most common numbers — 911, 112 or 999 — to get all three emergency services.
Questions:
Have you ever called police? Why?
Have you ever been helped by police?
Have you ever called an ambulance? Why?
Have you ever been hospitalized?
Have you ever called firefighters? Why?
Have you ever gotten ticketed for a violation by police?
Have you ever witnessed a fire accident or any other serious incident?
Have you ever experienced any trouble while traveling abroad?
Have you ever gotten your bicycle stolen? or any other things stolen?
Have you ever been stopped by a police and asked some questions?
Do you always check the local emergency numbers before traveling abroad?
Do you know many of your friends and family's phone numbers by heart?