Get emergency help
If you're in immediate life-threatening danger, call 000.
The Triple Zero (000) service is the quickest way to get the right emergency service to help you. It should be used to contact Police, Fire or Ambulance services in life threatening or emergency situations.
Calls to Triple Zero (000) are free and can be made from mobile phones, home or work phones or pay phones.
There are a few simple steps to take when making a Triple Zero (000) call:
- Stay calm and call Triple Zero (000) from a safe location.
- An operator will ask you if you need Police, Fire or Ambulance. Say the service that you require.
- If you're calling using a mobile or satellite phone the operator will ask you for other location information. You will then be connected to an emergency service operator, who will take details of the situation.
- Stay on the line, speak clearly and answer the operator's questions. Give the nominated emergency service operator the details of where you are. Include your street number, name, nearest cross street, and locality.
- In rural areas it is important to give the full address and distances from landmarks and roads, not just the name of the property.
- Don't hang up until the operator has all the information they need. If possible, wait outside at a prearranged meeting point or in a prominent location for emergency services to arrive to assist them to locate the emergency.
- If you make a Triple Zero (000) call whilst travelling on a motorway or on a rural road, identifying the direction you are travelling and the last exit or town you passed through will assist emergency services to correctly locate the incident.
Other things everyone should know in an emergency
- If a person is unable to speak English, they should call Triple Zero (000) from a fixed line, say ‘Police’, ‘Fire’ or ‘Ambulance’. Once connected to the nominated emergency service, stay on the line and a translator will be organised.
- Record the Triple Zero (000) emergency number beside the telephone at home and work.
- Take time to teach children and overseas visitors how to make an emergency call.
- Callers with hearing or speech impairments can call the one zero six www.triplezero.gov.au (106) text-based emergency call service using a text phone