posted by Catherine on May 8
Did you know that 27 European Union countries are now using the same emergency services number?
Now, you know that you can call an emergency expert wherever you are on the continent – from France to Finland, Sweden to Spain – it’s all the same number: 112.
Of course, some countries still have other numbers working alongside this, like the UK still uses 999 – but generally, all 112 numbers are directly sent to the emergency services of that country, or are diverted to a place where they can be effectively dealt with!
Why Know This?
Well, when you are backpacking across countries, or travelling by train – you never know quite where you are going to end up that night. Sometimes you may only be in a certain country for a few hours as you pass through, and others you might turn up in and stay for months!
So, it’s not likely that you will learn and remember all the different numbers – but what if you see an emergency situation like a house on fire, or are involved in an incident?
But, how can you help if you don’t know who to call?
Two things can really help in this type of situation and they are as follows:
1) Your Cell Phone:
All GSM phones are pre-programmed to recognise their local emergency numbers – for example 999 in the UK. This means that you can get through to an emergency service immediately if you dial this number – even if their is no SIM card in your phone!
It will also let you dial this number when your keypad lock is on or when you dial the emergency number instead of your pin – it is designed to do this to get your call answered as soon as possible and therefore your emergency service to deal with the situation without delay – I mean every second really does count when there are lives involved.
And, because it is registered as an emergency number, it also gets priority over other numbers in the pecking order of networks. This means that if you witness an accident and call 112 your call will get put straight through, while other callers might be made to wait for a ‘line’.
So, it is worth checking that you phone does this for the countries you are planning to visit for any length of time – so that your calls are taken seriously.
2) The Number 112:
Yes, there are other emergency numbers for a variety of specific services – like coastguard and drugs hot lines in many countries – but you will get straight through to an expert if you dial 112.
So rather than either panic and try to find someone to help or guess at a number to call, you can at least try 112 first. And if it’s not the first choice number of the country you happen to be in – at least it will be a trained emergency service person that you speak to.
For example in Norway, 112 will get you straight to the Police, whereas you need to dial 113 for an Ambulance – however at least you know that the Police will be more help to you than a farmer you happened to find down the road!
Other Tips?
Make sure that you take out travel insurance before you travel. I know the emergency services will come to your aid, but medical treatment, helicopters and other rescue services could well charge you thousands! And make sure you read the policy details before you go too – as not calling them before getting treatment could void some policies completely!
Also try to take a Basic First Aid course before heading off on longer journeys or at least get a medical tips book to cover all the basics. I mean knowing the simple cures and treatments for common holiday woes could save you a lot of wasted time – and make sure that you buy remedies locally rather than taking a whole pharmacological first aid kit with you from home!
And finally – if you accidentally dial this or any other emergency number – DO NOT HANG UP. The person on the other end of the phone may think that you are incapacitated or unable to continue with the call due to some type of emergency! And we don’t want them to waste time finding out…….
So, stay on the line and explain why you no longer need them – otherwise they could be wasting money and resources trying to locate you again to help you out – when in fact you are just now carrying on along your journey without a care in the world!
Take Care!
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