In a life threatening emergency dial Triple Zero (000)
Storm and Flood Assistance
In a life threatening emergency, at any time, day or night, you should dial Emergency Triple Zero (000) for Police, Fire or Ambulance.
There are two numbers to call for ambulance assistance:
- Emergency triple zero (000) for an emergency; and
- Non Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPT) bookings
(02) 6200 4126 (Booking requires authorisation from a medical officer)
Your call will be triaged and the appropriate priority given at the time of the call.
If you have any doubts, please dial 000 and they will advise you of the best possible course of action.
Examples of medical emergencies include:
- sudden collapse
- chest pain
- breathing difficulty
- motor vehicle/cycle accident
- fractured bones
- uncontrollable bleeding
For non-emergency patient transport, dial (02) 6200 4141.
For non-emergency transport, an ambulance may be organised by an authorised staff member at a hospital, doctor’s surgery or health facility. In these cases ambulance transport is arranged for you if you are not well enough to travel by private or public transport. This might be with an emergency response ambulance or the Patient Transport Service, depending on the medical condition.
Examples of non-emergency stretcher ambulance transport include:
- Admission to hospital from home
- Discharges from hospital to home
- Inter hospital transfers
- Transports to and from nursing homes
- Transports to and from specialist and diagnostic centres
- Transfer of patients to and from Air Ambulance / airports
- Patients requiring day treatment
The ACT Ambulance Service also encourages the community to avoid medical emergencies wherever possible by undertaking sensible precautions and preparations:
What happens when I dial 000 (triple zero)?
After dialing Triple Zero (000) you will be connected to an operator who will ask you which service you require (Police, Fire or Ambulance) and which state or territory you are calling from. The operator will then forward your call to the requested service here in the ACT.
You will then be asked to provide the following information including:
- street name;
- street number / location;
- what has happened;
- your name;
- your phone number;
- any other relevant details such as the nature of the problem; and
- the number of people involved.
It is important you do not hang up until instructed to do so by the operator.
What if you don’t speak or understand English clearly?
If a person is unable to speak English they should still dial 000.
The emergency operator will arrange for an interpreter through the Australian Government’s Translating and Interpreting Service.
How do I find out more information about the Australian Government’s Translating and Interpreting Service?
More Information is available on the Translating and Interpreting Service’s website.
What if you have a hearing or speech impairment and rely on text based communication?
The teletypewriter (TTY) it is a dedicated text-based emergency relay-service with direct access to Police, Fire or Ambulance services.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use the teletypewriter or a computer with a modem to access the telecommunications network to contact 000 at any time by calling the National Relay Service (NRS) on 106.
This particular service is only available to people who do rely on text-based communication.
More information on the teletypewriter (TTY) service is available at relayservice.com.au.
What do I do if I want to contact the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) about a non-life threatening emergency matter?
Please see our contact us page for general enquiries.
