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Who to contact in an emergency

The lack of a single emergency number in Johannesburg causes much confusion and results in delays that can result in unnecessary damage to buildings and equipment, and more seriously, loss in life.

Many of the ‘emergency numbers’ used by Johannesburg’s residents, namely 10111, 112, 147 and 10117 have to be routed manually in much the same way as when calls are made to the City’s call line on 011 375 5911.  Conversely, calls to the City on police emergencies matters have to be redirected manually to 10111 - a rerouting that wastes valuable time that can make all the difference between life and death. 

A case in point is the old Rissik Street Post Office which was destroyed recently. The fire was reported to the police’s emergency number - 10111 - which is not in radio contact with Johannesburg’s emergency services. This fateful delay in the fire department’s response time meant that this historical building was gutted. 

The DA in Johannesburg has once again called on the MMC of Safety to ensure that the City promotes a single number for all emergencies. Councillor Darren Bergman, the DA spokesperson on Safety, said that his team had drafted a 5 point plan based on actual incidents that had taken place in and around Johannesburg. These are:

1. The number needs to be easy in order to remember it in the event of an emergency.  An 8 year old needs to understand and recall the number, so it should also be shorter than our current 10 digit number: 011 375-5911. Only 3 out of 100 people surveyed knew the number!
2. The call centre should be able to dispatch directly to all emergency units such as SAPS, Metro police, ambulance, fire and rescue. This will eliminate the necessity of one call centre having to phone another.
3. The call centre and dispatch centre need to be accountable to one authority, which needs to monitor and review performance.
4. Staff at the call centre needs to understand the caller, know the areas and offer life saving advice over the phone.
5. Technology is key. The call centre needs to be up to date with dispatching systems and software that can monitor response times and give dispatchers information as to who to send quickest.
6. The DA has called on the MMC for Safety in Johannesburg to immediately investigate the implementation of a single emergency number for the City. Until then, current emergency numbersd are:
7. 10111- Police emergencies

Johannesburg metro Police and Emergency Services

082-911 - Netcare ambulance
084-124 - ER 24 ambulance
*10117  - Provincial ambulance service
*112
*147

*Gets routed to the call centre through the front end (same as if called directly).

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