Editing Emergency telephone number

{{Short description|Telephone number that allows caller to contact local emergency services for assistance}}
{{Redirect|Emergency call|other uses|Emergency Call (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Emergency_telephone_numbers_in_the_world.svg|thumb|Implementation of the two [[ITU]] approved<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758760/itu-911-112-standard-emergency-numbers|title=911 and 112 are the world's standard emergency numbers, ITU decides|work=The Verge|access-date=2018-07-26}}</ref> emergency telephone numbers in the world:{{legend|blue|112}}{{legend|yellow|911}}{{legend|green|112 and 911}}{{legend|black|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 service]]s 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.

In many countries, dialing either [[112 (emergency telephone number)|112]] (used in Europe and parts of Asia, Africa and South America) or [[911 (emergency telephone number)|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 ==
[[File:Chineseemergencyservicesmuraltanglanges.jpg|thumb|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.

{{multiple image
| total_width       = 300
| image1            = 911sign.jpg
| caption1          = ''911'' is the emergency number used in many countries in the Americas.
| alt1              = Sign reading "911 emergency use only"
| image2            = GW-L2.jpg
| caption2          = A fire truck in [[Ennigerloh]], Germany, with the European emergency number ''112'' painted on its side
| alt2              = Red fire truck with 1-1-2 painted in yellow on its side
}}

An emergency telephone number call may be answered by either a [[switchboard operator|telephone operator]] or an emergency service [[dispatcher]]. The nature of the emergency ([[police]], [[Firefighter|fire]], [[Emergency medical services|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 [[cardiopulmonary resuscitation|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 then 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. 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 ===
{{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>

== 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 more commonly used in the Americas, while 112 is standard across the EU and in many other countries worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758760/itu-911-112-standard-emergency-numbers|title=911 and 112 are the world's standard emergency numbers, ITU decides|website=theverge.com|date=12 December 2012 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401183323/http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758760/itu-911-112-standard-emergency-numbers|archive-date=2017-04-01}}</ref>

=== IP telephony ===
In January 2008, the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] released a set of [[Request for Comments|RFC documents]] pertaining to emergency calls in [[Internet Protocol|IP]] networks.<ref>{{cite journal |date=8 January 2008 |title=RFCs prepare for Internet emergency calls |url=http://blog.anta.net/2008/01/08/rfcs-prepare-for-internet-emergency-calls/ |url-status=dead |issn=1797-1993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726135406/http://blog.anta.net/2008/01/08/rfcs-prepare-for-internet-emergency-calls/ |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=8 January 2008 |website=blog.anta.net}}</ref>

== 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 [[Subscriber Identity Module|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 [[Personal identification number|PIN]] or there is not a network signal (busy network).

Most GSM mobile phones have '''[[112 (emergency telephone number)|112]]''', '''[[999 (emergency telephone number)|999]]''' and '''[[911 (emergency telephone number)|911]]''' as pre-programmed emergency numbers that are always available.<ref name="IETF">{{cite web |date=15 May 2008 |title=Guidelines to select Emergency Number for public telecommunications networks |url=https://datatracker.ietf.org/documents/LIAISON/file562.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214012141/https://datatracker.ietf.org/documents/LIAISON/file562.pdf |archive-date=14 February 2012 |access-date=6 May 2012 |publisher=[[International Telecommunication Union]] |page=4}}</ref> 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''.<ref>[https://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_ts/122100_122199/122101/09.01.00_60/ts_122101v090100p.pdf 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</ref> However, some GSM networks will not accept emergency calls from phones without a SIM card. For example, to decrease the risk of [[Nuisance call|nuisance calls]], French and British networks typically did not allow emergency calls without a SIM card.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docdb.cept.org/download/3552|title=ECC Report 324|website=European communication office}}</ref>{{Update-inline|reason = You can now|date=March 2025}}

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).<ref>{{cite web |title=Russia: Emergencies |url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294459-s603/Russia:Emergencies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020162648/http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g294459-s603/Russia:Emergencies.html |archive-date=20 October 2014 |access-date=13 October 2014}}</ref>

In the United States, the [[Federal Communications Commission|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.<ref name="FCC wireless">{{cite web |date=8 October 2008 |title=Wireless 911 Services |url=http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507191953/http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/wireless911srvc.html |archive-date=7 May 2009 |access-date=5 April 2009 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref><ref name="FCC payphone">{{cite web |date=26 June 2008 |title=Calls Made From Payphones |url=http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/Payphones.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307014744/http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/Payphones.html |archive-date=7 March 2009 |access-date=5 April 2009 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Deal to spur better 911 call locating for U.S. cellphone users |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-wireless-911/deal-to-spur-better-911-call-locating-for-u-s-cellphone-users-idUKKCN0IZ00N20141115 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323155756/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-wireless-911/deal-to-spur-better-911-call-locating-for-u-s-cellphone-users-idUKKCN0IZ00N20141115 |archive-date=23 March 2018 |access-date=15 November 2014 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

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 [[pocket dialing|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.<ref>{{cite news |date=23 May 2002 |title=Technology tackles bogus 999 calls |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2002446.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040413073157/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2002446.stm |archive-date=13 April 2004 |access-date=1 May 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

== 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.<ref name="UKTH" /> 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.<ref>EENA. [http://www.112.be/ressource/static/files/2011_03_15_3.1.2.FC_v1.0.pdf EENA Operations Document: False Emergency Calls] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902200919/http://www.112.be/ressource/static/files/2011_03_15_3.1.2.FC_v1.0.pdf|date=2011-09-02}}, European Emergency Number Association, 15-03-2011.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[999 (emergency telephone number)]]
* [[Advanced Mobile Location]] (or 'Emergency Location Service')
* [[Amateur radio emergency communications]]
* [[Distress signal]]
* [[1-1-2#E112|E112]]
* [[eCall]]
* [[Emergency telephone]]
* [[Helpline]]
* [[In case of emergency]] (ICE) entry in the mobile phone book
* [[List of emergency telephone numbers]]
* [[National Emergency Number Association]] (NENA)
* [[Phone fraud]]
* [[Single Non-Emergency Number]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== Sources ===
* BBC ''Seriously'' podcast [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05711xn "999 - Which Service Do You Require?"], 30 June 2017
* Cutler, David M. (2000). ''The Changing Hospital Industry: Comparing Not-for-Profit and For-Profit''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. {{ISBN|9780226132198}}. {{OCLC|848656697}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=lLaol0r0SU4C&pg=PA118 p.&nbsp;118].
* Mobile Reference (2007). "Chapter: History of emergency services numbers".{{Full citation needed|date=March 2017}}

== External links ==
* [http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/112/index_en.htm 112 – The European emergency number]
* [http://www.nena.org/ National Emergency Number Association (NENA)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050223102442/http://www.nena.org/ |date=2005-02-23 }}
* [http://www.eena.org/ European Emergency Number Association (EENA)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100724010336/http://www.kokom.no/ The Norwegian National Centre on Emergency Communication in Health (KoKom)]
* [http://www.daleeli.com/en/emergency_numbers.html Emergency Numbers in Saudi Arabia]

{{Emergency telephone numbers}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emergency Telephone Number}}
[[Category:Emergency telephone numbers| ]]