Contact 999 by SMS text

What is emergencySMS?

EmergencySMS is part of the standard 999 service which has been designed for people with hearing loss or difficulty with speech.

How do I use emergencySMS?

Register

To use the service you have to register with emergencySMS first. To register, text register to 999. You will get a reply - then follow the instructions that you are sent.

In an emergency

Text 999.
We need to know: Who (Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue or Coastguard)
What (briefly what is the problem)
Where (exactly where the problem is happening - give the name of the road, house number, postcode or nearby landmark, if possible).

What happens next?

The emergency service will either ask for more information or will tell you that help is on the way.
Don't assume that your message has been received until the emergency service sends a message back.
It will usually take about two minutes before you get a reply. If you don't get a reply within three minutes, please try again or find other ways of getting help.

Only use emergencySMS for real emergencies

For example, if:

someone's life is at risk
a crime is happening now
someone is injured or threatened
there is a fire or people are trapped
you need an ambulance urgently
someone is in trouble on the cliffs, on the shortline or is missing at sea

Do not send test or non-emergency texts.

Please note that this service works in the UK on all mobile networks. It cannot be used from abroad.

For more information

Information extracted from The Royal National Institute for Deaf People