How to call Triple Zero (000)

How to Call Triple Zero

Knowing how to call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency can be the difference between life and death. The Triple Zero (000) service is the quickest way to get the right resources from emergency services to help you and should be used to contact Police, Fire or Ambulance services in life threatening or time critical situations.

Calls to Triple Zero (000) are FREE and can be made from mobile phones, home or work phones or pay phones.

There a few simple steps in making a Triple Zero (000) call to report an emergency:

Stay calm and call Triple Zero (000) from a safe location.

When you dial 000 you will first hear the recorded message ‘You have dialled emergency Triple Zero. Your call is being connected.’

Your call is then answered by a Telstra operator who will ask whether you need police, fire or ambulance. You may also be asked to give the state and town you are calling from. The operator will then connect you to the emergency service you requested and will stay on the line with you until the call is answered by them.

In extreme events, such as major bushfires or storms, there may be a short delay before your call is answered due to a higher number of calls. You should stay on the line if this happens or you will lose your place in the queue.

Stay on the line, speak clearly and answer the operator’s questions.

Give them the details of where you are, including street number, name, nearest cross street, and locality. In rural areas it is important to give the full address and distances from landmarks and roads, not just the name of the property.

Don’t hang up until the operator has all the information they need.

If possible, wait outside at a prearranged meeting point or in a prominent location. This will assist emergency services.

If you make a Triple Zero (000) call whilst travelling on a Motorway or on a rural road, know the direction you are travelling and the last exit or town you passed through to assist services to correctly locate the incident. NOTE: do not make phone calls while driving.

Emergency+ Smartphone application

Emergency+ is a free application developed by Australia’s emergency services and industry partners. The application works across Australia, using GPS functionality built into smartphones to help a Triple Zero (000) caller provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency services. First launched in 2013, the application has been downloaded more than 2.2 million times and has provided assistance to people facing an emergency.

Location accuracy is critical information for Triple Zero (000) call takers. The quicker an accurate location is established, the sooner emergency services can be dispatched and render assistance. With the vast majority of Triple Zero (000) calls originating from mobile telephones today, the Emergency+ application is a vital Government initiative to improve public safety and emergency service response times.​

Download the App