Ambulance

Adults – call 999 or go to A&E now for any of these:

• signs of a heart attack - chest pain, pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest

• signs of a stroke - face dropping on one side, cannot hold both arms up, difficulty speaking

• sudden confusion (delirium), cannot be sure of own name or age

• suicide attempt by taking something or self-harming

• severe difficulty breathing not being able to get words out, choking or gasping

• choking on liquids or solids right now

• heavy bleeding - spraying, pouring or enough to make a puddle

• severe injuries after a serious accident or assault

• seizure (fit) - shaking or jerking because of a fit, or unconscious (cannot be woken up)

• sudden, rapid swelling of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue

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Immediate action required: Children – call 999 or take your child to A&E now for any of these:

• seizure (fit) - shaking or jerking because of a fit, or unconscious (cannot be woken up)

• choking on liquids or solids right now

• difficulty breathing - making grunting noises or sucking their stomach in under their ribcage

• unable to stay awake - cannot keep their eyes open for more than a few seconds

• blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, tongue or lips - on brown or black skin, grey or blue palms or soles of the feet

• limp and floppy - their head falls to the side, backwards or forwards

• heavy bleeding - spraying, pouring or enough to make a puddle

• severe injuries after a serious accident or assault

• signs of a stroke - face dropping on one side, cannot hold both arms up, difficulty speaking

• sudden rapid swelling of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue

• sudden confusion, agitation, odd behaviour or non-stop crying

Fire 

• Don’t be afraid to dial 999 in an emergency, even if you’re not sure if there is a fire, small or large. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

• Don’t attempt to contact your local fire station or any numbers listed in the telephone directory. Call 999 and ask for the fire service, you will be transferred to our Service Control Centre. Fire crews are only dispatched via Control.

• Don’t assume that someone else must have already rung for the fire service. We would rather receive several calls to an emergency than none at all.

• Don’t call the Police for a fire; if there is a crime, we will ask them to attend.

• Do dial 999 and ask for the fire service, no matter how small the fire is, because small fires can quickly spread into larger fires.

Police

Call 999 if you are reporting a crime that is in progress or if someone is in immediate danger.