Calling an ambulance

When it’s an emergency

Call an ambulance if someone has a medical problem, such as:

• chest pain or chest tightness
• a sudden weakness in the face, arm or leg, or trouble speaking — these could be signs of a stroke
• breathing problems
• a sudden collapse, or unexplained fall
• a seizure
• uncontrollable bleeding.

Call an ambulance if someone has been injured, including:

• severe burns
• fallen from a great height
• been injured in a car accident
• been physically assaulted, including stabbing or shooting.

If it's not an emergency, call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) and speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day. You can also find out if you should see a doctor or care for yourself at home with the Symptom checker on the Healthdirect Australia website.

Help when someone has overdosed on drugs

If someone collapses or stops breathing from using drugs, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

We don't notify the police when we go to an emergency where illegal drugs are involved unless:

• the paramedic or someone else’s physical safety is at risk
• someone has died
• someone has been violently injured, such as a stabbing or shooting.

What happens when you call Triple Zero (000)

When you call, tell the operator you want an ambulance. They'll transfer your call to one of our emergency medical dispatchers (EMDs). We'll ask you some questions to help us understand what your emergency is, and where to send our ambulance crew. Try to stay calm and speak clearly.

We'll ask you to tell us:

• the exact location of the emergency
• the phone number you're calling from
• details about what happened
• how many people are hurt or sick
• if you’re with the person
• how old the person is
• if they're conscious (awake)
• if they're breathing

Stay on the phone unless we tell you to hang up. We can send an ambulance while you're still talking to us. While you're waiting for the ambulance to arrive, we may:

• give you instructions to help with first aid
• ask more questions about the person's condition or injury
• need more details to help us find you.

Some medical conditions don’t need to be treated by paramedics and need care from a different service instead. If that happens, we’ll tell you where to get help.

Using an interpreter

If you’d like to use a language other than English, you can use an interpreter. To ask for an interpreter say, 'I want a [say your language] interpreter'. This service is free.

Support for people with speech or hearing difficulties

If you’re deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment, you can use the National Relay Service to call Triple Zero (000).

You can do this by phone (call 106) or using online chat, captions or SMS or voice relay.