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Call 112

Someone with a phone in their hand
Are you in distress?  Or do you see someone else in distress? Then raise the alarm.

Throughout Europe you can call 112 free of charge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get immediate assistance from the fire brigade, the police or an ambulance.

Please note: In Belgium you call 101 when you need the police. That is the quickest way to get help. For an ambulance or the fire brigade, you do call 112.

How do I call correctly?

Only call 112 in the event of a life-threatening emergency. For non-emergency intervention by the fire service, you can contact the electronic counter 1722. For non-emergency medical assistance, you can contact your GP or a doctor on call (1733). See the list of useful telephone numbers.

Before calling, try to gather the following information:

  • Precise location;
  • Type of emergency;
  • How many injured.
  1. Call 112 for an ambulance or the fire brigade. Call 101 for urgent police assistance.
  2. Listen to the message and make a selection:
    "Emergency services.
    For an ambulance or the fire service, press 1.
    For the police, press 2".
  3. If you do not make a choice, the message will be repeated. You will then be automatically transferred to the emergency call centre.
  4. Wait calmly for an answer. Do not hang up, or you will end up in the queue again.
  5. Provide the exact address (city, street, number, intersection, special access, etc.) and, if possible, the easiest way to get there. If you are not calling from the scene of the incident, tell this to the operator as well.
  6. Describe what happened (fire, accident, aggression, burglary, heart attack, etc.).
  7. Indicate whether people are in danger or injured, and how many.
  8. Do not hang up until the operator tells you you can. Also, keep your phone line clear so the operator can call you back if they need more information.
  9. If the situation worsens or improves, call back to the emergency centre to report this.

In large-scale disasters, several people call the emergency centres at the same time. The operator will only ask you for additional useful information. If you do not have any more information, you may hang up when the operator says so. This way, the telephone lines in the emergency centres are free again sooner so that other calls can be taken.

If you have accidentally called an emergency number, do not hang up but tell the operator that everything is fine. This way, the operator is assured that it is not an emergency.

Tip: Teach your children to dial the emergency number. Check out some games on http://112.be/en/kids.

112 app

There is also a 112 mobile app that you can download to your phone free of charge. This app lets you easily select the type of assistance you need (ambulance, fire service or police).

This app offers several practical features: 

  •  Additional information: You can provide additional information about yourself, for example if you are deaf or hard of hearing, or if you suffer from heart disease. 
  • Location: the emergency call centres can see where you are.
  • Chat function: if you cannot speak or hear, the emergency call centres allow you to send messages.
  • Alarm: if you are unconscious and the emergency call centres cannot find you, they can ring your mobile phone.