GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Emergency situations are traumatic, and understandably so. When things go wrong, it is perfectly natural to panic and not think clearly. Remembering an emergency telephone number could therefore be a very tough ask at that point in time.
“Make sure that the most important emergency contact numbers are pre-programmed on your phone, or listed on a piece of paper where anyone in the house can easily see it,” says Charnel Hattingh, Head of Communications and Marketing at Fidelity ADT.
These numbers are not all necessarily for emergency services or for police, she adds. “It can also include people you trust to know that they will come to your aid when you need them.”
Hattingh recommends the following numbers to be saved or put on a list on the wall:
- The closest police station. Ask them if they have specific contact numbers allocated for certain clusters, especially when you are living in relatively big policing districts.
- The closest fire station and hospital.
- Your neighbourhood watch organisation.
- If your town or city has a Law Enforcement or municipal policing service, add their contact details to the list.
- The contact details for your armed response company’s monitoring centre. This is helpful in cases where you need to cancel a possible false alarm. Some towns also have special community contact centres in operation, which work alongside the SAPS and local governments to coordinate emergency calls.
- The names and numbers for your neighbours.
“Putting this list of numbers together can give you a great sense of certainty, knowing that you have the correct contact details available when something goes wrong. Parents can also help their kids be a lot safer and security conscious by teaching them how to remember these important numbers,” says Hattingh.
Any incident that requires police response, can be reported to 10111. You can also dial 112 from any cellphone in the country, and your call will be transferred to the emergency service closest to you. Medical emergencies that require an ambulance to be dispatched can be reported to 10177.
- The Western Cape provincial government has published a list of useful emergency numbers, which can be viewed HERE.
- Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism has also published a similar list, which can be viewed HERE.
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