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May 22, 2006
I rang 911
I went to make a call today from my mobile phone's history and noticed that last night I didn't dial the Australian Emergency Services Number of 000 (Triple Oh as they say) - nor did I use the GSM network's 112 emergency number. Instead I used the old American standby: 911. Thus turning this into a Mythbusters post.
I've heard, on more than one occasion (usually as evidence that Australia is turning into America) that all the American TV and movies down here - with all their '911' references - have'taught' Australians to ring 911 rather than 000. And that so many Aussies have dialed 911 that it's forced Telstra to direct 911 to 000.
So the myth is, you can dial 911 in Australia and you will get the proper emergency services. According to the Australian Government it shouldn't work
Last night, I needed the police and like a good American, I rang 911 from my mobile. I got an emergency services operator asking if I needed police, fire or ambulance - just like I would if I rang 000.
So, myth busted? - I'm gonna say 'plausible' - because I didn't do this from a land line and with all the international roaming that goes on these days, it's very possible the Telstra GSM network just routes 000 and 911 to 112 anyway. Also I haven't tried 911 from a land line "just to see."
Interesting side note: Many PBX systems here have you dial '0' to get an outside line. The internal dialing prefix in Australia is '0011' - if you are like me and dial international a lot at work, sometimes when you are ringing intentional from home you dial 00011... and before you finish dialing you hear "Police, Fire or Ambulance" oops. Seems like this 000 thing wasn't really thought out.
Update for the record: I was dressed like this
Posted by yankinoz at May 22, 2006 7:57 PM
Comments
apparently, it works too if you call 999 too. just as a safety net i guess
Posted by: tracey at May 23, 2006 5:14 PM
In Ireland, and the UK, you can use the local '999', or the US '911', or the mainland European '112' - in an emergency, people dial what they're used to.
Posted by: Morgan at May 28, 2006 2:44 PM
The GSM mobile phone standard features 112 as the international emergency number and that will be directed to the emergency services of the country you're in.
As for 911, there are often news reports it doesn't work from landlines, perhaps an issue with Telstra's analog network, and not digital networks.
Posted by: Ben Bishop at June 4, 2006 10:02 PM
Ah, premature comment before.
"At a practical level, telephone numbers beginning with the 911 prefix (for example, 02 911x xxxx) have already been allocated by the ACMA and are being used by individuals and businesses in New South Wales. This means that if 911 is dialled, the system only recognises these digits as the first part of an existing number. Diversion after 911 is dialled is therefore not possible."
- http://emergencycalls.aca.gov.au/911.htm
Posted by: Ben Bishop at June 4, 2006 10:06 PM
I moved from New Zealand - emergency number 111 and in my first week in my new home in Melbourne I was trying to find call directory in a house without a telephone book. So I dialed 000 confident I would get a fault line or something that could direct me to the right department. Instead I got the fright of my life to get the emergency services. (OMG would I get fined as a nuisance caller? No, thank, God.)
You're right Yankinoz it wasn't well thought out.
Posted by: Rachael at March 28, 2008 10:13 AM
