How to use 112
112 is the single European emergency phone number. Call 112
To contact any emergency service
In any EU country (except certain regions in Bulgaria)
From fixed phones, including payphones, or mobile phones
Free of charge
Dial 112 in any emergency requiring an ambulance, the fire brigade or the police. Examples:
You have been involved in or have witnessed a serious road accident
You notice a building on fire.
You spot a house being broken into.
A specially trained operator will answer your call. Depending on the country, the operator will either deal with the request directly or transfer you to the most appropriate emergency service.
Operators are increasingly able to answer 112 calls in more than one language, which is especially important for people calling 112 while abroad.
Give your name, address, telephone number. It is necessary to identify callers to avoid confusion – the same incident may already have been reported by a number of people.
Do not hang up if you call 112 by mistake! Tell the operator that everything is OK. Otherwise, emergency assistance may have to be sent out to check there is no problem.
112 in Ireland
In Ireland access to 112 is available from fixed telephones, including public pay telephones, from mobile telephones and by foreign mobile phone subscribers visiting the country.
Access to 112 is even possible from mobile handsets without a SIM card or with restricted SIM card (blocked, not authorised to roam abroad etc.)
When you call from fixed telephones there is automatic provision of caller location information with the 112 call. When you call from mobile telephones you will be requested by the emergency call handling service to give your location.
The advantages of 112 across Europe
A single emergency number 112 that is accessible for all emergencies and to all people living and travelling in the EU is easy to remember. As such, promoting the use of 112 helps to save lives. As European citizens are increasingly travelling to other countries, for business or pleasure, there is a need for a single number, identical across the EU, to call in an emergency. Especially for travellers, safety in emergencies is the other side of the coin of the single market and the freedoms it offers.
A large majority of EU citizens (95%) agree about the usefulness of having an emergency number available anywhere in the EU.
For more information please see the 112 leaflet published by the European Union (Eolais faoi 112 as Gaeilge)