If you find yourself in an emergency which is either life threatening or where time is critical, you can use one of these services.

106 TTY emergency service

The 106 TTY emergency relay service is the world's first national text-based emergency service. It provides direct access for TTY users to fire, police and ambulance and is available 24 hours a day, every day. If you rely on a TTY to make calls, you can dial 106 in an emergency.

How 106 works

• Simply dial 106. This is a toll-free number.
• You will be asked if you want police (type PPP), fire (type FFF) or ambulance (type AAA).
• The relay officer will dial the correct service and stay on line to relay your conversation with the emergency service.
• If you wish to use Speak and Read (voice carry over) or Type and Listen (hearing carry over) let the relay officer know so the correct mode can be set up for you.
• This service cannot be accessed by text message (SMS) on a mobile phone, nor through internet relay. Internet relay callers can request the relay officer to connect them with the 000 voice emergency service.

Speak and Listen callers

There is a separate emergency call procedure for Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay) callers who use an ordinary phone or mobile rather than a TTY.

How it works

• Dial 1800 555 727 and then ask for 000 or dial 000 directly. These are toll-free numbers.
• You will be asked if you want police, fire or ambulance.
• The relay officer will dial the correct service and stay on line to help you communicate with the emergency service.

Note: You can of course ring 000 directly if you feel confident that you can be understood by emergency services.

Emergency calls via internet relay

If you are using internet relay, you can ask the relay officer to connect you to 000 - the voice emergency service.

However unlike a call to 1800 555 727 or to 106, your call cannot be identified as an emergency call and can't be given any queue priority until you have been connected to a relay officer.

Tips for emergency calls

• Always ask for the service you need ie police, fire or ambulance.
• Be ready to explain the emergency.
• You will need to confirm your location. This will help route the call to the closest emergency services operator as quickly as possible.
• Do not hang up. Wait for a reply from the emergency service.
• The relay officer will stay on the line to relay your conversation. The emergency service will ask you questions and decide on the best way to help you.

Your privacy

The NRS respects your privacy (see more) and treats all calls with confidentiality. However, all 106 and 000 emergency calls are recorded so that emergency services such as the police can track events if necessary.