Call Triple Zero in an Emergency

Knowing how to call Triple Zero (000) for a fire or rescue emergency can be the difference between life and death, or a building or other property being saved or destroyed.

The triple zero (000) service is the quickest way to get the right help from emergency services and should be used to contact Police, Fire or Ambulance services in life threatening or time critical situations.

Calls to '000' are free and can be made from mobile phones, home or work phones or payphones.

The simple steps in making a Triple Zero (000) call to report a fire:

* Stay calm and call Triple Zero '000' from a safe location.

* A Telstra operator will ask you if you need Police, Fire or Ambulance. Say 'Fire'. If you are calling from a mobile or satellite phone the operator will ask you for other location information.

* You will be connected to an Emergency Services Operator to provide more details.

* Stay on the line, speak clearly and answer the Operator's questions.

* Give them details of where you are including:

• Street number
• Street name
• Nearest cross street
• 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
• If travelling on a Freeway, Expressway or on a rural road, know the direction you are travelling and last exit or town you passed through to assist services to correctly locate the incident

Do not hang up until the Operator has all the information they need.

If possible wait outside a pre-arranged meeting point or prominent location for Fire Services to arrive to assist them in locating the fire.

Other things everyone should know in an emergency:

* If a person is unable to speak English, if they call Triple Zero (000), say "fire" and leave the phone off the hook the call will be recorded and traced and a fire appliance will be sent to that address.

* Record the Triple Zero (000) emergency number beside the telephone at home and work.  

* Take time to teach children and overseas visitors how to make an emergency call.

* Callers with hearing or speech impairments can call the one zero six (106) text-based emergency call service using a textphone.

* 112 is the GSM international standard emergency number which can only be dialled on digital mobile phones. 112 can be dialled anywhere in the world with GSM coverage and is automatically translated to that country's emergency number.

In an emergency fire situation DO NOT call:

• A CFS Regional office
• A CFS Control Centre
• A CFS Fire Brigade
• Any volunteer members
• Your local Fire Station

This action could lead to a delayed response or inappropriate resource being sent.

For further information:

The Australian Emergency Call Service

Calling the Emergency Call Service from a mobile phone

Bushfire Information for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Speech Impaired

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service:

• TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 1300 362 361
• Speak and Listen users phone 1800 555 727 then ask for 1300 362 361
• Internet relay users connect to the NRS then ask for 1300 362 361
• To report a fire or emergency (TTY users only), access TTY 106

TTY 106 is a dedicated text-based emergency relay service with direct access to fire, police and ambulance services. It can only be contacted through a TTY machine, not from a mobile phone or ordinary phone.