In an Emergency
In the event of a fire
- Keep calm and act quickly!
- Get everyone out as soon as possible.
- If there is smoke, stay low where the air is clear.
- Call or text 999 as soon as you’re able to.
- Do not re-enter the building.
- Never tackle fires yourself.
- Leave it to the professionals.
Contacting 999 by text message
If you cannot make voice calls, you can now contact 999 via SMS text from your mobile phone.
Emergency SMS is part of the standard 999 service and has been specifically designed for people with hearing loss or difficulty with speech.
You must register your phone for this service by texting: register to 999 or visiting www.emergencysms.org.uk
Contacting 999 by video call
You can now contact 999 via video call with communication support provided by a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.
Simply open the 999 BSL app or website, press the red button to call and you will be connected to a BSL interpreter. They will then call 999 on your behalf and relay the conversation.
Find out more at www.999bsl.co.uk.
Contacting the emergency services
When you text, call or video call 999, the operator will need to know the following:
Do you need Fire and Rescue, Police, Ambulance or the Coastguard?
Briefly and quickly explain the problem. Where is it happening? If you can, include the name of the road, property number and the postcode.
999 will either ask for more information or will tell you help is on the way.
When texting 999, don’t assume that your message has been received until the emergency service replies to your text.
If you need support to register with EmergencySMS
Check out our ‘Registering with EmergencySMS’ resource or for further help, you can contact us via the online referral form or send an email to info@bid.org.uk and we can support you if we deliver services in your area, otherwise we will try and signpost you to a suitable organisation.
If you would like further information or support, please visit our website, www.bid.org.uk, to see the other resources we have available and the services we deliver in your area. Alternatively, you can email us on info@bid.org.uk.
If you would like to receive the information in a different format, such as Braille, large print or Audio, then please contact us at marketing@bid.org.uk.