Fire Safety

Call Triple Zero (000) to report emergencies

Knowing how to call Triple Zero (000) for a fire 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 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.

How to make a Triple Zero (000) call to report a fire

There a a few 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 using a mobile or satellite phone the operator will ask you for other location information.
• You will then be connected to an emergency service operator, who will take details of the situation.
• 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 for fire services to arrive to assist them to locate the fire.
• If you make a triple zero (000) call whilst traveling on a Motorway or on a rural road, know the direction you are traveling and the last exit or town you passed through to assist services to correctly locate the incident.

Additional tips

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 engine 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.

Fire & Rescue NSW Community Risk Management. Revised 13 October 2005.

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