Uses
The 999 system is an emergency telephone number which is used worldwide/internationally.
The 999 system is usually used to summon assistance from the 3 main uniformed public services (police, fire and rescue, ambulance). Also the caller can summon other specialist services like the HM coast guard, mountain rescue and cave rescue.
The emergency telephone number for the European Union is 112, but it is automatically directed straight to 999 operators.
Some examples of an emergency, where you can call 999 are:
- A person in immediate danger of injury or their life is at risk.
- Suspicion that a crime is in progress.
- Another serious incident which needs immediate emergency service attendance.
- A person with an injury which was sustained a few days earlier.
- A person with toothache.
History
The 999 system was first created on the 30th June 1937 in the London area and later nationally, after a london house fire on the 10th November 1935, where 5 women were killed. The system was set up after a Norman Macdonald (neighbour) tried to call the fire brigade and he was held on hold for a long time by the phone exchange. After this he was so outraged that he wrote a letter to the times, which then prompted a government inquiry.
The 999 number was chosen because of the need for the code to be able to be dialled from A/B button on public telephones.
Some inappropriate uses of dialling 999 where given on the 30th December 2006, by the West Midlands Ambulance Service.
