On this page, we talk about how to call Triple Zero in an
An emergency:
- is a dangerous situation
- is a thing we do not expect to happen
- can put our health and safety at risk.
When to call Triple Zero
If you have an emergency in Australia, you should call Triple Zero.
000
You can call Triple Zero for:
- police
- firefighters
- ambulance.
It is free to call Triple Zero.
You can call Triple Zero on any type of phone.
This includes a:
- mobile phone
- home phone
- work phone
- payphone – a public phone.
Before you call Triple Zero, try to get to a safe place.
You might feel scared or nervous to call Triple Zero.
This is normal.
But it is important to call Triple Zero if someone:
- is hurt badly
- needs medical care straight away.
You should also call Triple Zero if your:
- life is in danger
- home is in danger.
You should call Triple Zero if you see:
- a crime happen
- a bad accident happen, like a car crash.
Contacting Triple Zero if you have trouble speaking or hearing
If you have trouble speaking or hearing, you can use a teletypewriter (TTY) to contact Triple Zero.
This means you can send a text message instead.
TTY
106
To use TTY, you need to type which service you need.
This includes:
- police
- firefighters
- ambulance.
Then you need to type where you need help.
What happens when you call Triple Zero
When you call Triple Zero, an will answer the phone.
An operator is someone who connects people on the phone to the service they need.
They will ask you if you need:
- police
- firefighters
- ambulance.
You will need to tell the operator which services you need.
For example, you might need:
- police
- and
- ambulance.
Make sure you speak slowly and clearly.
Do not shout.
Stay as calm as you can.
The operator might ask you for information about where you are.
They will do this if you called them on a:
- mobile phone
- payphone.
The operator will then connect you to another operator from the service you need.
That operator will ask you for more information about the emergency.
Your job is to:
- stay on the phone call
- answer their questions.
Do not end the phone call until the operator has all the information they need.
They will tell you when it is okay to end the phone call.
Information you need to give the operator
When you are on the phone call, you need to give the operator information about the emergency.
But you need to wait for them to ask you first.
The operator will ask for:
- your name
- the address of where you are.
When you give the operator the address, they will ask you for the:
- name of the street
- street number
- town or suburb.
They will also ask for the name of a different street that is close to where you are.
If you are in a place far away from any city or town, you need to give the operator the full address.
You also need to tell them information about important places near the emergency.
For example:
- the name of the nearest road
- if you are near a mountain or river.
If you are on a main road, you need to tell the operator:
- the name of the main road
- how far away you are from important places and other roads.
You can also give the operator information about:
- what direction you are going
- the last town or suburb you went past.
The operator will also ask about the emergency.
They will ask you questions to find out what happened.
Answer their questions as best you can.
The operator might give you instructions about how to help in the emergency.
Listen carefully and follow their instructions.
It is okay to ask the operator to repeat:
- a question they ask you
- an instruction they give you.
You should still call Triple Zero in an emergency even if you do not have all the information they will ask you.
The operator will help you as much as they can.
