What happens when we’re too connected to our phones?
Have you ever thought what to do in case of an emergency abroad? While ‘call 911’ has become a familiar phrase due to popular film and television, it’s not the international emergency phone number. While there are great variances, most countries haven’t become too creative when it comes to emergency phone numbers. In this gallery, we group emergency phone numbers so that you know who to call in case of an issue. We also explore the history behind emergency phone numbers and how they came to be.
Curious to know more? Click on to find out.
In 1935, several women tragically died in a fire in London. Their neighbor saw smoke coming from a building and dialed the number 0, which connected to the telephone operating system, which was managed by the General Post Office.
There were only a few operators responsible for the entire operating system, so it was common for calls to clog the system. Ultimately, it took too long for the operators to speak to the person reporting an emergency and report the incident to emergency services.
After the incident, the General Post Office decided to institute an emergency phone number for all of London: 999. Two years after the tragic fire, the city-wide emergency number came into effect.
When someone dialed 999, a special light would flash on the telephone operating board, which indicated that the call was an emergency and should be answered immediately.
The first successful use of the 999 emergency number came just eight days following its launch, in which a couple called to report an attempted robbery. Police arrived minutes later and arrested the suspect.
Although local alarm systems existed in the US in the mid-19th century, it took 30 years after London’s "universal" emergency number for the US to issue its country-wide system, the iconic 911.
The first call to 911 took place in 1968, from a US Senator in Alabama. Prior to this, local emergency phone numbers were seven digits long and the police, emergency, and fire services all had separate numbers.
Before there were telephone systems in place, cities relied on designated watchmen, who alerted cities of emergencies by “shaking wooden rattles and shouting.” This chaotic display of urgency would also alert volunteer firefighters to an emergency.
The design of a single country-wide emergency telephone number emerged following a 1966 report from the National Academy of Sciences, which published a report titled ‘Accidental Death and Disability: The Neglected Disease of Modern Society.’
The report highlighted that motor vehicle crashes in particular were becoming an epidemic in the US. These crashes resulted in the accidental death and injury of people due to the amount of time it took before emergency services were contacted, arrived at the scene, and intervened.
Besides the United States, there are a number of countries that use 911 for emergency services. While some are US territories, others are not, pointing to how the universalism of the 911 number extended to other parts of the world.
The list of 911 users includes American Samoa, Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Honduras, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the US Virgin Islands, and Uruguay.
Some nations have two emergency numbers: 911 for universal purposes, and the long-established emergency contact numbers they have had for longer periods of time. This list includes countries like Ecuador, Venezuela, Jamaica, Jordan, the Bahamas, Peru, Montserrat, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
In Europe, the primary emergency phone number is 112. The European Union introduced the emergency number 112 in 1991, but it was already widely in use as early as the 1970s.
In addition to European nations and their territories, there are other countries that have adopted the number: Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Cyprus, DR Congo, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, South Korea, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, and Uganda.
Similar to 911, other non-EU countries have adopted the 112 number in addition to their local emergency number system. These countries include: India, Indonesia, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Lebanon, and Kenya.
Another popular emergency phone number is 999. There are 15 countries that use this emergency number: Bangladesh, Botswana, Cook Islands, Dominica, Eswatini, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Sudan, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Similar to efforts to universalize emergency phone numbers, there are some nations that have adopted 999 in addition to their local emergency service numbers: the Seychelles, Gibraltar, Zambia, Bahrain, Mauritius, Kiribati, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe.
A few other popular emergency phone numbers include 113 and 117. Among the 113 nations are Angola, Bhutan, Eritrea, and Vietnam. Among the 117 countries are Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Gambia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, the Republic of the Congo, Switzerland, and Togo.
Other popular groupings of emergency phone numbers include 102 and 110. The 102 countries are: Belarus, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. While the 110 nations include: Andorra, Bolivia, China, Germany, Guatemala, Iran, Ivory Coast, Japan, Nauru, and Taiwan.
There are a few nations with two-digit emergency phone numbers, such as 15, 17, and 19. The nation with 15 as its emergency phone number is Pakistan. The number 17 has a larger grouping: Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Mali, Monaco, Niger, and Senegal. Sierra Leone and Morocco use 19.
Malawi and Poland use the number 997. The number 122 is used by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, and Montenegro. Equatorial Guinea and Haiti both use 114, while New Zealand and Vanuatu use 111. Israel and Nepal use 100.
The number 119 is used by Afghanistan, the Maldives, Mozambique, and Sri Lanka. Colombia and Lesotho use 123. Laos and Thailand use 191, while Northern Macedonia and Serbia use 192.
Then we have the outliers: emergency numbers without groupings. There are some nations that have four or five-digit emergency numbers. South Africa and Namibia use the emergency number 10111. Oman uses 9999, while Gabon uses 1730. Algeria uses 1548, while Libya uses 1515.
Iraq uses 104, while Cuba uses 106. Suriname uses 115. Nicaragua’s emergency phone number is 118, while Albania’s is 129. Brazil uses 190, and Turkey uses 155.
Western Sahara diverges from Morocco, using 150. Chile uses the number 133, while Cape Verde uses 132, and Albania uses 129. Yemen’s emergency phone number is 194.
Somalia uses 888, Barbados uses 211, and Tunisia uses 197. Ethiopia meets 911 and 999 somewhere in the middle, using 991, while Brunei uses 993.
These numbers are largely for police services, as they can then pass your call to the fire department or ambulatory services, depending on your needs.
While you don’t have to memorize the emergency number of a place you’re visiting, it's advisable to write it down in a safe place. Alternatively, save it to your phone just in case you find yourself in a situation in which you require assistance.
Sources: (World Population Review) (Coffee or Die) (911.gov) (issuu)
See also: How to prepare for emergencies and disasters when traveling abroad
Emergency phone numbers by country—it's not always 911!
Did you know the first emergency number system began in London?
HEALTH SOS
Have you ever thought about what to do in case of an emergency abroad? While "call 911" has become a familiar phrase due to popular film and television, it’s not the international emergency phone number. While there are great variances, most countries haven’t become too creative when it comes to emergency phone numbers. In this gallery, we group emergency phone numbers so that you know who to call in case of an issue. We also explore the history behind emergency phone numbers and how they came to be.
Curious to know more? Click on to find out.