999 (emergency telephone number): Difference between revisions

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999 is the United Kingdom's emergency telephone number along with the EU standard 112. Either number can be used but 999 is more popular and better-known than 112.

It is also the emergency telephone number in some Commonwealth countries. It is an all-service number, meaning that it should be called in any situations where state-run emergency services are needed. The three main and best-known services are fire brigade, police and ambulance. Other available services include coastguards, mountain rescue and cave rescue (where locally relevant). Some situations such as a major car accident or a terrorist attack (including nuclear, biological, or chemical attacks) will require multiple and/or specialist services but the first point of call for reporting such incidents from the general public is still the 999 system. The number is operated by British Telecom for the Home Office.

In some situations there will be specific instructions on nearby signs to notify some other authority of an emergency before calling 999. For example there are notices on bridges carrying railways over roads telling people that, if they see a road vehicle striking the bridge, they should call the railway authority (on a given number) first and then call 999 to inform the police.

It is also used in the Republic of Ireland, Ghana, Hong Kong, Macau and Malaysia.

999 was originally chosen as the emergency number during the height of The_Blitz on London during the second World War. It was chosen because of the need to dial it in total darkness (because of the London Blackout) and using the dial type telephones of the period. In the dark, it was easiest to locate the numbers at either end of the dial rather than count the finger holes to get to some number in the middle of the range one through zero. Zero-Zero-Zero could not be used because Zero was already in use to call the operator and One-One-One would have been too easy to dial accidentally by jiggling the reciever rest (which also produces dial pulses). 999 was the next available number.

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 It is also used in the [[Republic of Ireland]], [[Ghana]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Macau]] and [[Malaysia]].
-was originally chosen as the emergency number during the height of the [[Blitz]] on [[London]] during the second World War.  It was chosen because of the need to dial it in total darkness (because of the London Blackout) and using the dial type telephones of the period.  In the dark, it was easiest to locate the numbers at either end of the dial rather than count the finger holes to get to some number in the middle of the range one through zero.  Zero-Zero-Zero could not be used because Zero was already in use to call the operator and One-One-One would have been too easy to dial accidentally by jiggling the reciever rest (which also produces dial pulses). 999 was the next available number.
+was originally chosen as the emergency number during the height of [[The_Blitz]] on [[London]] during the second World War.  It was chosen because of the need to dial it in total darkness (because of the London Blackout) and using the dial type telephones of the period.  In the dark, it was easiest to locate the numbers at either end of the dial rather than count the finger holes to get to some number in the middle of the range one through zero.  Zero-Zero-Zero could not be used because Zero was already in use to call the operator and One-One-One would have been too easy to dial accidentally by jiggling the reciever rest (which also produces dial pulses). 999 was the next available number.
 == See also ==