Emergencies - when to call an ambulance

In a medical emergency, calling for an ambulance could mean the difference between life and death. However, people sometimes hesitate to call because they are not sure if the situation qualifies as an emergency. If in doubt, always call triple zero (000). The people who take your call are trained to help you and will direct you to the appropriate resources.

It is a good idea to take a first aid course so that you can recognise a medical emergency and administer effective first aid until medical help arrives.

What is a medical emergency?
Always call triple zero (000) for an ambulance in the following circumstances:

• Unconscious person – who doesn’t wake or respond when shaken.
• Heart attack (suspected) – crushing chest pain that lasts more than five minutes. The pain may spread to arms and jaw.
• Breathing difficulty – especially if the person is unable to speak more than a few words or has blue lips or mouth.
• Abdominal pain – that is severe and undiagnosed.
• Haemorrhages – major uncontrolled bleeding.
• Bleeding – that does not stop after at least 10 minutes of continuous pressure.
• Back pain (severe) – after a fall or after sudden onset of back pain if over 50 years of age.
• Burns – which are bigger than the size of a hand and/or cause severe pain that is not relieved with simple painkillers, or if the person has difficulty breathing.
• Choking – especially if the person is unable to talk, cry or breathe.
• Convulsions or fitting – if the person is still fitting as you phone triple zero (000) or if they have no history of convulsions (for example epilepsy or brain injury).
• Drowning, near drowning, diving or scuba accident.
• Stroke (possible) – especially if the person experiences numbness, loss of function of hand, arm or leg, slurred speech, facial droop or severe abrupt headache.
• Headache (severe) – not the usual kind, with or without loss of function of arm or leg.
• Motor vehicle accidents – if you think someone has been injured.
• Industrial accidents – where a person is injured or trapped.
• Vaginal bleeding (severe) – with possible or confirmed pregnancy.
• Suicide attempt.
• Pain (severe) after a fall or injury – when the person is unable to sit up, stand or walk.
• Drug overdose or poisoning – whether you know for sure or just suspect an overdose.
• Diabetes – if the person is not fully awake or not behaving normally.
• Allergic reaction – especially with difficulty breathing or loss of consciousness.
• Electrical shock – of any kind.
• Trauma (injury) – which is severe, especially to the head, neck, chest or abdomen – for example if the person was stabbed, shot or impaled, or hit by or ran into an object.
• Meningococcal disease – if symptoms indicate possible infection.
• Hypothermia or heat stress – which is severe.

• Get to a telephone – if you are providing first aid to the injured person, ask someone else to make the call.
• Call out for help if you are by yourself – if no one responds, you may have to leave the injured person briefly to call for an ambulance. It is important to phone for an ambulance as quickly as possible to get the ambulance on the way.
• Dial triple zero (000) – you can use a fixed, mobile or pay telephone. Triple zero (000) is a free call (even from a pay phone).

• The person who first answers the triple zero (000) call is a Telstra operator. Tell them you need an ambulance. They will transfer you to an ambulance call taker.
• You will be asked to give the phone number you are calling from and the address where the injured or sick person is. If you are located on a country property, you will need to know your property fire map reference or VicRoads map reference.
• You will be asked to describe the problem. You will be asked about the nature of the emergency, the number of people involved, the injured or ill person’s gender and age, and whether or not they are conscious or breathing. This information helps to determine the seriousness of the problem and what resources are required.
• While you are answering questions, an ambulance dispatcher will send out an emergency ambulance. You will not hear the dispatcher doing this, but don’t be concerned, continue to answer the questions. All the information you provide is relayed to the ambulance paramedics on their way to the emergency. This allows them to prepare before they arrive.
• The call taker may give you first aid instructions over the phone.
• Please do not hang up until the call taker tells you that you can.
• If possible, have someone waiting outside to flag down the ambulance. If it is dark, put on an outside light.

• Always call an ambulance in a medical emergency Tel. triple zero (000)
• National Relay Emergency Call Service (for text-based communication over the phone) Tel. ‘106’
• First aid kits – Ambulance Victoria Tel. 1800 248 859
• First aid courses and kits – St John Ambulance Victoria Tel. (03) 9696 0000

• Some people hesitate to call for an ambulance because they are not sure if the situation is a medical emergency – if in doubt, call triple zero (000).
• Give an accurate location so the ambulance gets to the injured or ill person as soon as possible.
• Do not hang up the phone until the ambulance call taker tells you to.
• It’s a good idea to do a first aid course so you can recognise a medical emergency and administer first aid until the ambulance paramedics arrive.

This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:


(Logo links to further information)