Editing Emergency telephone number (section)

== Direct-dial numbers ==
=== 999 ===
{{Main|999 (emergency telephone number)}}

The first emergency number system to be deployed anywhere in the world was in [[London]] on 30 June 1937<ref name="BBC">BBC London; [http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8675000/8675199.stm Why 999 for an emergency?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719095000/http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8675000/8675199.stm |date=2013-07-19 }}</ref><ref name="UKTH">British Telecom Archives [http://www.britishtelephones.com/histuk.htm U.K. Telephone History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213082807/http://www.britishtelephones.com/histuk.htm |date=2012-12-13 }}</ref> using the number 999, and this was later extended to cover the entire country.<ref name="BBC" /> When 999 was dialed, a buzzer sounded and a red light flashed in the exchange to attract an operator's attention.<ref name="UKTH" />

The emergency number 999 was adopted in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]] in 1959 at the urging of [[Stephen Juba]], mayor of Winnipeg at the time.<ref>[Mobile Reference (2007) Chapter:History of emergency services numbers]</ref>  The city changed the number to 911 in 1972, in order to be consistent with the newly adopted US emergency number.<ref>{{Cite web|url =https://www.nena.org/?page=911overviewfacts|title =9-1-1 Origin & History|url-status =live|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170814221728/https://www.nena.org/?page=911overviewfacts|archive-date =2017-08-14}}</ref>

Others have adopted 999 as their official emergency number, including [[Bahrain]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Botswana]], [[Cook Islands|Cook Island]], [[Eswatini]], [[Ghana]], [[Bailiwick of Guernsey|Guernsey]], [[Hong Kong]], the [[Republic of Ireland]], the [[Isle of Man]], [[Jersey]], [[Kenya]], [[Macau]], [[Malaysia]], [[Mauritius]], [[Niue]], [[Poland]], [[Qatar]], [[Sudan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Singapore]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]], [[Seychelles]], [[Uganda]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[Zimbabwe]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The NHS website |url=https://www.nhs.uk/ |website=nhs.uk |access-date=16 February 2021 |language=en |date=16 August 2018 |archive-date=2 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502074502/http://www.wales.nhs.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  Other countries also use it as an alternative, and many GSM handsets will connect 999 to the emergency services regardless of location.

=== 911 ===
{{Main|911 (emergency telephone number)|9-1-1 (Philippines)}}

Because of the design of US 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Gary|last=Allen|title=History of 911|url=https://www.countyofunion.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180009766&sec_id=180003667|magazine=Dispatch Magazine|access-date=2019-11-04|archive-date=2018-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923121122/https://www.countyofunion.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180009766&sec_id=180003667|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lcdes.org/history/|title=THE HISTORY OF 911|website=Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-911-emergency-call-is-placed-in-the-united-states|title=First 9‑1‑1 call is placed in the United States|website=HISTORY}}</ref>

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|date=March 2011}}

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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackstonevalleytribune.com/pdf/CHA.2009.02.13.pdf:Charlton|title=Villager p.13|access-date=13 October 2014}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> For this reason, there are still{{when|date=September 2019}} county sheriff departments that have toll-free "800" area code numbers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}

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|Canada's]] [[Arctic]]) that do not have it.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FPsDAAAAMBAJ&q=small%2C+remote+town+that+does+not+have+911+service%3AAmerican&pg=PA58|title=Motorcyclist Association p.58|access-date=13 October 2014|last1=Assoc|first1=American Motorcyclist|date=June 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Ollie|title=Hold, please: Lack of money pauses plans for 911 service in N.W.T.|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/911-service-nwt-1.3555051|website=CBC News|access-date=2 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430113541/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/911-service-nwt-1.3555051|archive-date=30 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Shanoff|first1=Alan|title=Money for nothing|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2015/08/29/money-for-nothing|newspaper=Toronto Sun|access-date=2 May 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804211742/http://www.torontosun.com/2015/08/29/money-for-nothing|archive-date=4 August 2016}}</ref>

====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/histoire/archives/le-numero-de-telephone-a-10-chiffres-fete-ses-25-ans-20211018|title=Le numéro de téléphone à 10 chiffres fête ses 25 ans|website=Le Figaro}}</ref> 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.{{cn|date=January 2022}} 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.

=== 100, 101, 102 ===
100, 101, and 102 are the emergency telephone numbers in Israel, serving the police, [[Magen David Adom]] and the fire department accordingly.

=== 101, 102, 103, 104 ===
101, 102, 103 and 104 are the emergency telephone numbers in Armenia, with 101 being for fire, 102 for police, 103 for ambulances, and 104 for gas accidents. For everything else, 177 is used.

112 and 911 both do work as well.

=== 110 ===
110 is the emergency telephone number for the police in China, Germany, Indonesia, Japan and Taiwan.

==== 95110 ====
The emergency number for the [[China Coast Guard]] is 95110, a variant of 110.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-10 |title=中国海警95110开通五年接报警情近31万起 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/20240710/8856f1e6fc884fe399e5f9eeeb6612dc/c.html |website=Xinhua}}</ref>

=== 111 ===
The emergency number 111 was adopted in New Zealand in 1955 and was first implemented in [[Masterton]] and [[Carterton, New Zealand|Carterton]] in September 1958.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=19 April 1955 |title=Telephone Calls in Emergencies - Plan to Introduce New System |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/press/1955/04/19/11 |work=[[The Press]] |pages=11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=31 October 1958 |title=Dial 111 in Emergencies |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19580927.2.158?end_date=31-10-1958&items_per_page=10&query=111+emergency&snippet=true&start_date=01-09-1958 |work=[[The Press]] |pages=10}}</ref> New Zealand telephones had their [[Rotary dial|rotary dials]] numbered in reverse to the UK and most of the world, with the number 1 on New Zealand rotary phones in the same position as the number 9 on British rotary phones. Dialling 111 would be recognised by the British-built step-by-step exchanges then used as a 999 emergency call, which would route the call accordingly.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 February 1969 |title=Choice Of Emergency Number Defended |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19690201.2.133 |work=[[The Press]] |pages=14}}</ref>

=== 112 ===
{{Main|112 (emergency telephone number)}}
[[File:Lifeguard tower - Morro Jable.jpg|thumb|112 on a lifeguard tower in [[Pájara]], [[Spain]]]]

The [[European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations|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.

=== 116 ===
Southern California Telephone Co. began using '''116''' as an emergency line for [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] in 1946.<ref name="lat1946">Staff report (Aug 19, 1946). [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/415337351.html?dids=415337351:415337351&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI Just Dial 116 for emergency telephone calls.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719000631/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/415337351.html?dids=415337351:415337351&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI |date=2013-07-19 }} ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref>

=== 119 ===
{{Main|119 (emergency telephone number)}}
119 is an emergency telephone number in countries including China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

=== 120 ===
120 is the emergency telephone number for ambulance service in China.

=== 122 ===
'''122''' is an emergency telephone number in several countries. For example, it is used for fire emergencies in Austria,<ref>{{cite book |title=Frommer's Austria |last=Porter |first=Darwin |author2=Danforth Prince |year=2009 |publisher=Frommer's |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |isbn=978-0-470-39897-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470398975/page/482 482] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780470398975/page/482 }}</ref> for traffic emergencies in China,<ref>{{cite web |author1=Australian Embassy in China |title=Emergency Services in China |url=https://china.embassy.gov.au/bjng/Consular1_5.html |website=china.embassy.gov.au |access-date=18 January 2024}}</ref> and for police emergencies in Egypt.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.tripmydream.com/egypt/emergency|title=Emergency contacts in Egypt: important phone numbers|website=tripmydream}}</ref>

=== 000 ===
{{Main|000 (emergency telephone number)}}

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's Department|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100580 |title=History of the Emergency Call Services |publisher=[[Australian Communications and Media Authority|ACMA]] |date=27 August 2007 |access-date=19 November 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090515052220/http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100580 |archive-date=15 May 2009 }}</ref> The Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997, also administered by ACMA, specifies that:

* the primary emergency service number is '000' and
* the secondary emergency service numbers are '106' and '112'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.triplezero.gov.au/accesspoint?action=tripleZero |title=Triple Zero (000) Australia's Emergency Call Service |publisher=[[Library of Congress Web Archives]] |date=17 October 2019 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20090515040141/http://www.triplezero.gov.au/accesspoint?action=tripleZero |archive-date=15 May 2009 |access-date=17 October 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1122 ===
{{Main|Rescue 1122}}
'''1122''' is an emergency telephone number in Pakistan. It can be used to call for fire and medical emergencies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Punjab Emergency Service Department |url=https://www.rescue.gov.pk/Introduction.aspx |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.rescue.gov.pk}}</ref>