I found this.

it must be propper scary when being stuck up there. if this happens to people why dont they put a help button on all of them chairs??? might cost alot of money but could also save lives.
I think i called 112 once when i was trying call o2 :lol: i just guessed at the number and some guy answerd saying Emergency Services.
So whats the diffrence between 112 and 999??

Sm4sh,
112 is supposed to work across Europe, and not just in countries belonging to the EU, plus a few other countries like Israel, whereas 999 works only in the UK and a few other countries like Ireland.

http://www.sos112.info/

http://www.112foundation.eu/view/en/vertical/the_112/when_to_call_112.html

However, I did read somewhere that certain mobile phones will put through 999 calls when you are in other countries, although I don't know how it works or even if it's true.

And I rather think that 112 is supposed to work even if your phone is locked (or has no SIM card), and try and find another network if your own has no signal (query whether the 999 and 112 mobile roaming service is working yet in the U.K.), and presumably will work even if you have no credit. They are also supposed to be able to locate you from your 112 mobile call, in case you don't know precisely where you are.

However, it is only meant to be used for life-threatening emergencies (which I reckon would include being left on a chair lift 50 feet up in the air potentially for the whole night).

I think we should all program 112 into our mobiles. I have :D

Thanks Ise, I hadn't heard of it before you told us.

Ally

ahhh ok. but if im stuck on a chair lift in Borovets i wont want ring 112 and end up speaking to someone in manchester :lol: ill have a read of them links in abit.

For anoraks there is a detailed wikipedia article about emergency numbers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number

The question arises whether the international 112 gets answered as quickly as the numbers used by locals, eg. in Austria police 133, ambulance 144. If they have to use English-speaking operators, maybe not?

More relevant;y, according to Wikipedia Austria has a distnict number for Alpine rescue 140. I'll remember that....

Innsbrucker wrote:For anoraks there is a detailed wikipedia article about emergency numbers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_telephone_number

The question arises whether the international 112 gets answered as quickly as the numbers used by locals, eg. in Austria police 133, ambulance 144. If they have to use English-speaking operators, maybe not?

More relevant;y, according to Wikipedia Austria has a distnict number for Alpine rescue 140. I'll remember that....

Innsbrucker,
I may be wrong, but I rather think that the 112 number is likely to be answered more quickly than the local emergency numbers because it has priority. And it also has the other advantages already mentioned, like being able to look for another network to gain a signal, possibly being able to locate you, and working even in a phone without a SIM card etc.

I think the 112 call is automatically put through to the emergency services appropriate for that area, so that if, for example, Sm4sh was to phone 112 in Bulgaria he wouldn't get put through to Manchester. I don't know how they cope with the language issue, except that I guess the operators must speak the main languages - like English, French, Spanish and German as well as their own language.

The correct local emergency mountain rescue number for Courchevel, for example, is 04 79 08 99 00, which is a pretty long number, and there are different numbers for Meribel, Val Thorens etc. So I have programmed 112 into my phone under 'Rescue' and if I need it I will try it out (hopefully I won't need to). Should I have need to use the number, and I survive the incident, I will post a message about it when I get back :D :D

Ally

I have the local numbers on my mobile just in case of any accidents or emergencys, then its just a matter of remembering which area we are in and dialing ASAP,Fortuneatley I have only had to use it once in St G. and they were there in 15mins, which can seem like a long time when you got a youngster in the party laying in the snow :( but I will put 112 in as well, can never have enough saftey ) O/H is down in my mobile as ICE( In case of Emergency) which wouldn't be much good if I needed rescuing )