911 = police?

[Stu35]

Of course 911 is not the emergency number outside the US. In Britain, for instance, it is 0118-999-881-999-119-7253.

Internet Hi-Five for you my friend.


No I've never thought, or met anyone else(to my knowledge), who thought that our emergency number was 911. Such people deserve the brutal hacking to death they receive for failing to call the police.


It's the only way to weed out the undesirables.

 

[Batou667]

I have a friend who works for St John's Ambulance and he told me some interesting things about emergency numbers in the UK.

Firstly, you can use either 999 or 112 to get emergency services - and if I recall correctly I think he said 112 is actually faster, as the service automatically logs your location or bypasses the first operator or something like that [citation needed].

The other thing is that dialling 911 in the UK will automatically redirect to 999. Thanks for brainwashing our children, America!

 

[k-ossuburb]

Well, I'm in England. We have 999, because accidentally calling emergency services by leaning on your phone (btw, you can call emergency services without unlocking the keys) is so funny.

Even funnier is that it's been the same number since we had dial phones, and 9 is only the second slowest number to put in. 'OH GOD THERE'S A MURDERER AT MY DOOR' 9... *chuckachuckachuckachucka* 9... *chuckachuckachuckachucka* 9... *murderer smashes phone with axe*

You mean something like this?

 

[Hashime]

In Ontario you dial 911, I am not sure about the rest of canada, but it is 911 for sure here.

 

[DanielDeFig]

Of course 911 is not the emergency number outside the US. In Britain, for instance, it is 0118-999-881-999-119-7253.

How is that an EMERGENCY number? No-one would remember it, especially not in an emergency situation. Aren't all national emergency numbers 3-digt?

OT:
Despite growing up outside of my country of nationality, we got enough "kids material" (comics, cartoons, movies, ec.), that me and my sibling quickly learned Sweden's emergency number:112 (I'm guessing our parents might've helped too).

Interestingly enough I can't remember the emergency numbers for any of the countries I grew up in. I'm almost certain I learned them before cell phones were common, but once they were our mom just gave us one each, along with her and our Dad's number (also the Embassy's. They worked there). No need to remember any numbers, just select "Mom", and then "call".

 

[cefm]

So you're saying 911 is a joke in Canadian towns too?

 

[Frostbite3789]

Of course 911 is not the emergency number outside the US. In Britain, for instance, it is 0118-999-881-999-119-7253.

The fact that an IT Crowd reference was the first response makes my day.

You win lots of internets.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

Of course 911 is not the emergency number outside the US. In Britain, for instance, it is 0118-999-881-999-119-7253.

you can have a cookie for that reference.

OT: technically, that's right twice. UK's is 999.

 

[NZpablo]

111 in NZ but the thing is 911 still works because stupid people kept calling it thinking tv shows were right

 

[DanielBrown]

Since Swedens 112 has already been accounted for, I'll add that our old emergancy number was 90000. Good thing they changed it. >.<

 

[FamoFunk]

Of course 911 is not the emergency number outside the US. In Britain, for instance, it is 0118-999-881-999-119-7253.

*high 5~ I knew someone would post this

I have and would dial 999 (or said number above) can people really not know their own countries emergency number?!

Also, just me if is Americas the most difficult to dial in an emergency, I mean you have to more you hand across the phone, whereas, 999 for example is easy and all in on space.

 

[Thundero13]

I've never thought that because the Irish emergency number is way easier to remember, it's simply: 999 Although for mobile phones it's apparently the decidely less easier to remember: 112 Or at least, so i've heard...

 

[Major_Tom]

It used to be 92 (Firemen 93, Ambulance 94) in Croatia but it's now 192. 112 is also valid because it's standard European emergency... something.

 

[Korolev]

Yep, when I was younger I did think 911 was the emergency phone number in Australia, simply because I was raised on American TV. I think I actually know more about the US than I do about Australia, sad as that is. Of course, after I turned 10 years old, I knew the correct number is 000 - but still, I have found myself saying "Dial 911!" when an emergency occurs.

 

[direkiller]

Fun fact - the numbers are like this from the old days of rotary-dialling telephones.

For example, dialling "999" on a rotary telephone would be extremely hard to do accidentally, because of the long time it would take the dial to return after you choose 9. Same idea with Australia's 000.

However, in the USA, they decided that after the first nine, speed is of the essence in an emergency, so afterwards it's 1 because that takes the least time to return on the dial.

another fun fact

In the US when they first started running radio adds for 911 they had to change it from "nine-eleven" to "nine-one-one" because people in a panic were looking for the number 11 instead of 2 ones on there phone

 

[Lukeje]

Apparently it's quite common for children to think that the number is 911 (from American TV shows such as Sesame Street). Anyway; here in the UK it's either 999 or 112 (though hardly anyone knows about the latter).

It's also 911 in case you didn't know. They had to make that work because American tv is so prevalent that many many people who need to call emergency services automatically think 911 because we hear it so much.

I'd heard that, but couldn't find confirmation (it seems to be network specific whether they forward you or not, so it's probably best to not rely on it).

Edit: some more googling reveals that such calls will never be forwarded from landline phones because `911' can be the start of a normal six digit phone number.

 

[GodofDisaster]

It has always been 999 for me living in Nothern Ireland.

 

[AngryMongoose]

999 and the European Standard 112 are used here. 101 is non-emergency police (ominous), and 111 non emergency medical. I believe 911 redirects, though not sure.

Interestingly, putting "Emergency Number" into google gives the message
"For immediate emergency assistance in the United Kingdom call 999
Help in fire, police, and medical emergencies"

 

[Tallim]

Apparently it's quite common for children to think that the number is 911 (from American TV shows such as Sesame Street). Anyway; here in the UK it's either 999 or 112 (though hardly anyone knows about the latter).

It's also 911 in case you didn't know. They had to make that work because American tv is so prevalent that many many people who need to call emergency services automatically think 911 because we hear it so much.

I'd heard that, but couldn't find confirmation (it seems to be network specific whether they forward you or not, so it's probably best to not rely on it).

Obviously not something you should rely on but I know it worked because I myself accidentally did it when my wife died. Wasn't thinking clearly at all during her heart attack and after looking back in my call history I discovered I had called 911 and not 999.

 

[harvz]

well, if i wasnt whacked over the head with the number on every other ad as a kid, then the constant safety lessons at school and also on signs in some places, i would think it was 911. but all that happened so its 000 for aussies.

btw, why is it 911? it seems to me that if your having something happen, you would want numbers that are atleast relatively close together