If you’ve already decided to start a new experience in Australia, it’s important to learn how to react to an emergency.
You should know which numbers to call if you require police, fire, or ambulance assistance.
The main emergency line in Australia is (000), which addresses critical situations requiring immediate assistance. If this is not so urgent, you should contact the local police, fire department or ambulance directly.
Can I call 000 if I don’t speak English?
Unfortunately, this line does not have the option of translator. However, here are some keywords that you can use when communicating the emergency.
When using them, they will send you to the selected department and help you locate a translator. If you don’t specify the nature of the emergency, you’ll be transferred directly to the police.
Key words/phrases:
- “Emergency” (Emergencia)
- “Police/Fire/Ambulance” (Policia/Bomberos/Ambulancia):
- “Flood” (Inundación)
- “Insect bite” (Picadura de insecto)
- “Fire” (Fuego)
- “Intruder” (Instruso)
- “Thief” (Ladrón)
- “Bush Fire” (Incendio forestal)
- “I am located in…” (Estoy ubicado en…)
- “I am in the state of New South Wales/Victoria/Queensland/Western Australia/Southern Australia/Northern Territory/Tasmania” (Estoy en el estado de…)
- “I am hurt” (Estoy herido)
- “I am in danger” (Estoy en peligro)
- “I was in a car accident” (Tuve un accidente de tránsito)
- “My house is on fire” (Hay un incendio en mi casa)
How to react to an emergency:
- Specify the service you need: Police/Firefire/Ambulance.
- Don’t despair if they’re late in answering, wait for them to answer you.
- Don’t hang up
- Confirm the state where you are (New South Wales/Victoria/Queensland/Western Australia/Southern Australia/Northern Territory/Tasmania). Even if you don’t know your exact location, this will help you get transferred to the nearest entity.
- Try to explain your problem clearly and if necessary, ask people around for help.
How can they locate me if I don’t know what my location is?
By calling from a landline or public phone, the operator will be able to reach you. But when calling from a cell phone the address will not be available automatically. In this case, you will need to explain to the operator where you are (state, city, village, suburb or description of what is around you).
What other lines can I call if I can’t reach 000?
Australia has two secondary lines: 112 to call from cell phones and 106 to request help in text format for people with hearing or speech disabilities.
- Police/Firebers/Ambulance: 000
- Storm and Flood Assistance: 132 500
- Police: 131 444 (all states except Victoria)
- On site, you can find all available emergency lines. Click here.
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