Emergency telephone number

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911sign.jpg
911 is the emergency number used in many countries in the Americas.
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A fire truck in Ennigerloh, Germany, with the European emergency number 112 painted on its side
Implementation of the two ITU approved emergency telephone numbers in the world: .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} 112 911 112 and 911 Other number, no redirection or redirection for mobile phones only Emergency telephone numbers in the world.svg
Implementation of the two ITU approved emergency telephone numbers in the world:
  112
  911
  112 and 911
  Other number, no redirection or redirection for mobile phones only

An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit.

Contents

In many countries, dialing either 112 (used in Europe and parts of Asia, Africa and South America) or 911 (used mostly in the Americas) will connect callers to emergency services. For individual countries, see the list of emergency telephone numbers.

Configuration and operation

A mural at a Shenzhen elementary school showing emergency numbers used in Mainland China Chineseemergencyservicesmuraltanglanges.jpg
A mural at a Shenzhen elementary school showing emergency numbers used in Mainland China

The emergency telephone number is a special case in the country's telephone number plan. In the past, calls to the emergency telephone number were often routed over special dedicated circuits. Though with the advent of electronic exchanges these calls are now often mixed with ordinary telephone traffic, they still may be able to access circuits that other traffic cannot. Often the system is set up so that once a call is made to an emergency telephone number, it must be answered. Should the caller abandon the call, the line may still be held until the emergency service answers and releases the call.

An emergency telephone number call may be answered by either a telephone operator or an emergency service dispatcher. The nature of the emergency (police, fire, medical, coast guard) is then determined. If the call has been answered by a telephone operator, they then connect the call to the appropriate emergency service, who then dispatches the appropriate help. In the case of multiple services being needed on a call, the most urgent need must be determined, with other services being called in as needed.

Emergency dispatchers are trained to control the call in order to provide help in an appropriate manner; they can be assisted by computer aided call handling systems (CACH). The emergency dispatcher may find it necessary to give urgent advice in life-threatening situations. Some dispatchers have special training in telling people how to perform first aid or CPR.

In many parts of the world, an emergency service can identify the telephone number that a call has been placed from. This is normally done using the system that the telephone company uses to bill calls, making the number visible even for users who have unlisted numbers or who block caller ID. Enhanced 911 and similar systems like E112 can provide the location of landline callers by looking up the physical address in a database, and mobile callers through triangulation from towers or GPS on the device. This is often specifically mandated in a country's telecommunication law.

Operator-assisted dialing

When an emergency happened in the pre-dial (or "manual") telephone era, the user simply picked up the telephone receiver and waited for the operator to answer "number, please?" The user responded with "get me the police", "I'm calling to report a fire", or "I need an ambulance/doctor". Even in large cities, it was seldom necessary to ask for these services by number.

In small towns, operators frequently provided additional services, knowing where to reach doctors, veterinarians, law enforcement personnel and firefighters at all times. Frequently, the operator was also responsible for activating the town's fire alarm.

When manual switching systems began to be replaced by automatic, or "dial" systems, there was frequently concern among users that the very personalized emergency service provided by manual operators would be lost.

Because numbers were different for every exchange, callers either had to dial the operator or look up the telephone number. An example of this was Auckland, New Zealand, before the introduction of 111 in the 1960s – the city had 40 exchanges, all with different emergency numbers, and finding the telephone number for the local exchange would require having to search through the city's 500-page telephone directory. [2]

This problem was at least partially solved in Canada, the UK, and the US by dialing "0" for the local assistance operator in case of emergency, although faster service could be obtained if the user dialed the full number for the Police or Fire Department. This system remained essentially unchanged throughout most of North America until the 1970s.

Direct-dial numbers

999

The first emergency number system to be deployed anywhere in the world was in London on 30 June 1937 [3] [4] using the number 999, and this was later extended to cover the entire country. [3] When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in the exchange to attract an operator's attention. [4]

The emergency number 999 was adopted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1959 at the urging of Stephen Juba, mayor of Winnipeg at the time. [5] The city changed the number to 911 in 1972, in order to be consistent with the newly adopted U.S. emergency number. [6]

Several other countries besides the UK have adopted 999 as their emergency number.

116

Southern California Telephone Co. began using 116 as an emergency line for Los Angeles, California in 1946. [7]

911

Because of the design of U.S. central office (phone) switches, it was not practical to use the British emergency number 999 (as was briefly considered). What was up to that time unassigned area code 911 was chosen instead. The "1" as the second digit was key; it told the switching equipment that this was not a routine call. (At the time, when the second digit was "1" or "0" the equipment handled the call as a long distance or special number call.) The first 911 emergency phone system went into use by the Alabama Telephone Company in Haleyville, Alabama in 1968. [8] On February 16, 1968, the first-ever 9-1-1 call was placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, from Haleyville City Hall, to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill, at the city's police station. However, 911 systems were not in widespread use until the 1980s when the number 911 was adopted as the standard number across most of the country under the North American Numbering Plan.[ citation needed ]

The implementation of 911 service in the US was a gradual and haphazard process. Because telephone service boundaries did not always exactly match governmental and other jurisdictional boundaries, a user might dial 911, only to discover that they had been connected to the wrong dispatch center because they had telephone service from one location but lived within the boundaries of another jurisdiction.[ citation needed ]

Electromechanical switching equipment still in use made it difficult to adapt to recognize 911, especially in small towns and rural areas where the call might have to be switched over a considerable distance. [9] For this reason, there are still[ when? ] county sheriff departments that have toll-free "800" area code numbers.[ citation needed ]

The rapid replacement of electromechanical switching systems in the 1980s with electronic or digital systems eliminated the problem of older switches that would not recognize 911. At this point, 911 service is available in most of North America, but there are still small, sparsely-populated, or remote areas (such as Nunavut and the Northwest Territories in Canada's Arctic) that do not have it. [10] [11] [12]

Enhanced 911

Gradually, various problems were overcome; "smart" or "enhanced 911" systems were developed that not only would display the caller's number and address at the dispatch center but also could be configured so that 911 calls were automatically routed to the correct dispatch center, regardless of what central office the caller was served from. In the United States, most cities have E911 systems either in use, or in their emergency systems design plans.

17, 18

In France, many telephone exchanges were closed at night but it was still possible to make emergency calls. An operator had to connect the emergency calls only. In 1913, an automatic system was set up. It made provision for calling the police by dialing 17 and the fire brigade by dialing 18. As more manual telephone exchanges were converted to dial operation, more and more subscribers had access to these special numbers.[ citation needed ] The service was not widespread until the 1970s.

France now uses 112, the European emergency number, as well as 17 and 18 for police and fire brigade, specific to France.

112

112 on a lifeguard tower in Pajara, Spain Lifeguard tower - Morro Jable.jpg
112 on a lifeguard tower in Pájara, Spain

The CEPT recommended the use of 112 in 1972. The European Union subsequently adopted the 112 number as a standard on 29 July 1991. It is now a valid emergency number throughout EU countries and in many other CEPT countries. It works in parallel with other local emergency numbers in about two out of three EU states.

000

Prior to 1969, Australia lacked a national number for emergency services; the police, fire and ambulance services possessed many phone numbers, one for each local unit. In 1961, the office of the Postmaster General (PMG) introduced the Triple Zero (000) number in major population centres and near the end of the 1980s extended its coverage to nationwide. The number Triple Zero (000) was chosen for several reasons: technically, it suited the dialing system for the most remote automatic exchanges, particularly outback Queensland. These communities used the digit 0 to select an automatic trunk line to a centre. In the most remote communities, two 0s had to be used to reach a main centre; thus dialing 0+0, plus another 0 would call (at least) an operator. Zero is closest to the finger stall on Australian rotary dial phones, so it was easy to dial in darkness. [13] The Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997, also administered by ACMA, specifies that:

Standardisation

ITU standard: 112 or 911

The International Telecommunication Union has officially set two standard emergency phone numbers for countries to use in the future. AP reports that member states have agreed that either 911 or 112 should be designated as emergency phone numbers – 911 is currently used in North America, while 112 is standard across the EU and in many other countries worldwide. [15]

IP telephony

In January 2008, the Internet Engineering Task Force released a set of RFC documents pertaining to emergency calls in IP networks. [16]

Mobile telephony

Mobile phones can be used in countries with different emergency numbers. This means that a traveller visiting a foreign country does not have to know the local emergency numbers. The mobile phone and the SIM card have a preprogrammed list of emergency numbers. When the user tries to set up a call using an emergency number known by a GSM or 3G phone, the special emergency call setup takes place. The actual number is not even transmitted into the network, but the network redirects the emergency call to the local emergency desk. Most GSM mobile phones can dial emergency numbers even when the phone keyboard is locked, the phone is without a SIM card, emergency number is entered instead of the PIN or there is not a network signal (busy network).

Most GSM mobile phones have 112 , 999 and 911 as pre-programmed emergency numbers that are always available. [17] The SIM card issued by the operator can contain additional country-specific emergency numbers that can be used even when roaming abroad. The GSM network can also update the list of well-known emergency numbers when the phone registers to it.

Using an emergency number recognized by a GSM phone like 112 instead of another emergency number may be advantageous, since GSM phones and networks give special priority to emergency calls. A phone dialing an emergency service number not recognized by it may refuse to roam onto another network, leading to trouble if there is no access to the home network. Dialing a known emergency number like 112 forces the phone to try the call with any available network.

On some networks, a GSM phone without a SIM card may be used to make emergency calls, and most GSM phones accept a larger list of emergency numbers without SIM card, such as 112, 911, 118, 119, 000, 110, 08, and 999. [18] However, some GSM networks will not accept emergency calls from phones without a SIM card, or even require a SIM card that has credit. For example, Latin American networks typically do not allow emergency calls without a SIM, nor British networks due to the prevalence of hoax calls.[ citation needed ]

The GSM phones may regard some phone numbers with one or two digits as special service codes. It might be impossible to make an emergency call to numbers like 03 or 92 with a mobile phone. In those cases the emergency number has to be called by using a landline telephone or with an additional first/last digit (for example 922 or 992 instead of 92 and 003 or 033 instead of 03). [19]

In the United States, the FCC requires networks to route every mobile-phone and payphone 911 call to an emergency service call center, including phones that have never had service, or whose service has lapsed. [20] [21] As a result, there are programs that provide donated used mobile phones to victims of domestic violence and others especially likely to need emergency services. Since 2020, emergency responders have been able to better locate callers who dial 911 on their cellphones from indoors as the U.S. wireless industry improved caller-location for the majority of such calls. The "heightened location accuracy," available to supporting networks and handsets, can find callers through nearby devices connected to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth that are logged with a specific location in a special emergency-services database. [22]

Mobile phones generate additional problems for emergency operators, as many phones will allow emergency numbers to be dialed even while the keypad is locked. Since mobile phones are typically carried in pockets and small bags, the keys can easily be depressed accidentally, leading to unintended calls. A system has been developed in the UK to connect calls where the caller is sent to an automated system, leaving more operators free to handle genuine emergency calls. [23]

Electro-mechanical issues

As earlier telephone systems used loop disconnect dialing, attention was devoted to avoiding the number being dialed accidentally by errant interruptions of the circuits by making them involve long sequences of pulses, such as with the UK 999 emergency number. [4] This meant that "111" could not be used: "111" dialing could accidentally take place when phone lines were in too close proximity to each other. Subscribers, as they were called then, were even given instructions on how to find the number "9" on the dial in darkened, or smoke-filled, rooms, by locating and placing the first finger in the "0" and the second in the "9", then removing the first when actually dialling. Some people have reported accidentally dialing 112 by loop-disconnect for various technical reasons, including while working on extension telephone wiring, and point to this as a disadvantage of the 112 emergency number, which takes only four loop-disconnects to activate. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">911 (emergency telephone number)</span> Emergency telephone number

911, sometimes written 9-1-1, is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Mexico, Palau, Panama, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency numbers around the world, this number is only intended for use in emergency circumstances. Using it for any other purpose is a crime in most jurisdictions. Penalties for abuse or misuse of 911 can range from probation or community service to fines and jail time. Offenders can also be ordered to undergo counseling and have their use of telephones restricted or suspended for a period time as a condition of probation.

Enhanced 911 is a system used in North America to automatically provide the caller's location to 911 dispatchers. 911 is the universal emergency telephone number in the region. In the European Union, a similar system exists known as E112 and known as eCall when called by a vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">999 (emergency telephone number)</span> Emergency number in several countries

999 is an official emergency telephone number in a number of countries which allows the caller to contact emergency services for emergency assistance. Countries and territories using the number include Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Kenya, Macau, Malaysia, Mauritius, Poland, Qatar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Seychelles, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Numbering Plan</span> Integrated telephone numbering plan of twenty North American countries

The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the telephone country code 1. Some North American countries, most notably Mexico, do not participate with the NANP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom</span>

In the United Kingdom, telephone numbers are administered by the Office of Communications (Ofcom). For this purpose, Ofcom established a telephone numbering plan, known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, which is the system for assigning telephone numbers to subscriber stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Australia</span>

The Australian telephone numbering plan governs the allocation of telephone numbers in Australia. It has changed many times, the most recent major reorganisation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority taking place between 1994 and 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the Netherlands</span>

Telephone numbers in the Netherlands are administered by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation of the Netherlands. The telephone numbering plan may be grouped into three general categories: geographical numbers, non-geographical numbers, and numbers for public services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in China</span>

Telephone numbers in the People's Republic of China are administered according to the Chinese Telephone Code Plan. The structure of telephone numbers for landlines and mobile service is different. Landline telephone numbers have area codes, whereas mobile numbers do not. In major cities, landline numbers consist of a two-digit area code followed by an eight-digit local number. In other places, landline numbers consist of a three-digit area code followed by a seven- or eight-digit local number. Mobile phone numbers consist of eleven digits.

GSM services are a standard collection of applications and features available over the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) to mobile phone subscribers all over the world. The GSM standards are defined by the 3GPP collaboration and implemented in hardware and software by equipment manufacturers and mobile phone operators. The common standard makes it possible to use the same phones with different companies' services, or even roam into different countries. GSM is the world's most dominant mobile phone standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland</span>

Numbers on the Irish telephone numbering plan are regulated and assigned to operators by ComReg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">000 (emergency telephone number)</span> Australian national emergency phone number

000 Emergency, also known as Triple Zero or Triple 0, and sometimes stylised Triple Zero (000), is the primary national emergency telephone number in Australia and Australian External Territories. The Emergency Call Service is operated by Telstra, and overseen by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and is intended only for use in life-threatening or time-critical emergencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">112 (emergency telephone number)</span> Common emergency telephone number

112 is a common emergency telephone number that can be dialed free of charge from most mobile telephones, and in some countries, fixed telephones in order to reach emergency services.

119 (one-one-nine) is an emergency telephone number in parts of Asia and in Jamaica. From May 2020, 119 was introduced in the United Kingdom as the single non-emergency number for the COVID-19 testing helpline in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. From January 2022, 119 was introduced in Romania as the single non-emergency number for reporting cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation and any other form of violence against the child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Romania</span>

The dialling plan for mobile networks and new landline operators is closed; all subscriber numbers must be dialled in full. For landline numbers starting with 02, the dialling plan used to be open; the trunk digit and area code could be omitted if the caller was in the same area code as the callee. However, starting May 3, 2008, all landline numbers must be dialled in full.

The Brazilian telephone numbering plan uses a two-digit area code plus eight-digit local phone numbers for landlines and nine digits for mobile lines. Public utility services use short phone numbers, always starting with 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in New Zealand</span> New Zealand numbering plan

The New Zealand telephone numbering plan describes the allocation of telephone numbers in New Zealand and the Pitcairn Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocket dialing</span> Type of accidental phone call

Pocket dialing is the accidental placement of a call on a mobile phone or cordless phone located in a person's pocket or handbag. The recipient of the call typically hears random background noise when answering the phone. If the caller remains unaware, the recipient will sometimes overhear whatever is happening in the caller's vicinity. A pocket-dialed call can continue for many minutes, or until the recipient's voice mail system ends the call.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Belgium</span>

A telephone number in Belgium is a sequence of nine or ten digits dialed on a telephone to make a call on the Belgian telephone network. Belgium is under a full number dialing plan, meaning that the full national number must be dialed for all calls, while it retains the trunk code, '0', for all national dialling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone number</span> Sequence of digits assigned to a telephone subscription

A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices for data transmission via the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or other public and private networks.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "911 and 112 are the world's standard emergency numbers, ITU decides". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  2. ↑ "50 years of 111 – Planning 111". New Zealand Fire Service/New Zealand Police/St John Ambulance/Wellington Free Ambulance. Archived from the original on 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
  3. 1 2 BBC London; Why 999 for an emergency? Archived 2013-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 3 British Telecom Archives U.K. Telephone History Archived 2012-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ [Mobile Reference (2007) Chapter:History of emergency services numbers]
  6. ↑ "9-1-1 Origin & History". Archived from the original on 2017-08-14.
  7. ↑ Staff report (Aug 19, 1946). Just Dial 116 for emergency telephone calls. Archived 2013-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times
  8. ↑ Allen, Gary. "History of 911". Dispatch Magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-09-23. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
  9. ↑ "Villager p.13" . Retrieved 13 October 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ Assoc, American Motorcyclist (June 2001). Motorcyclist Association p.58 . Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Williams, Ollie. "Hold, please: Lack of money pauses plans for 911 service in N.W.T." CBC News. Archived from the original on 30 April 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Shanoff, Alan. "Money for nothing". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "History of the Emergency Call Services". ACMA. 27 August 2007. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  14. ↑ "Triple Zero (000) Australia's Emergency Call Service". Library of Congress Web Archives. 17 October 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  15. ↑ "911 and 112 are the world's standard emergency numbers, ITU decides". theverge.com. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2017-04-01.
  16. ↑ "RFCs prepare for Internet emergency calls". blog.anta.net. 8 January 2008. ISSN   1797-1993. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  17. ↑ "Guidelines to select Emergency Number for public telecommunications networks" (PDF). International Telecommunication Union. 15 May 2008. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  18. ↑ Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Service aspects; Service principles (3GPP TS 22.101 version 9.1.0 Release 9), topic 10.1.1 Identification of emergency numbers, clause C
  19. ↑ "Russia: Emergencies". Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "Wireless 911 Services". Federal Communications Commission. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  21. ↑ "Calls Made From Payphones". Federal Communications Commission. 26 June 2008. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
  22. ↑ "Deal to spur better 911 call locating for U.S. cellphone users". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "Technology tackles bogus 999 calls". BBC News. 23 May 2002. Archived from the original on 13 April 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  24. ↑ EENA. EENA Operations Document: False Emergency Calls Archived 2011-09-02 at the Wayback Machine , European Emergency Number Association, 15-03-2011.

Sources

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