106 Text Emergency Call, commonly known as simply 106,
is the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n national
emergency telephone number
An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and ...
to be used in life-threatening or time critical situations
for those with a speech and / or hearing impairment who use
telecommunications device for the deaf (textphone or teletypewriter (TTY)).
[ formerly the Australian Communications Exchange (ACE), a ]non-profit organisation
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
that provided the relay services component for the NRS.modem
The Democratic Movement (, ; MoDem ) is a centre to centre-right political party in France, whose main ideological trends are liberalism and Christian democracy, and that is characterised by a strong pro-Europeanist stance. MoDem was establis ...
. 106 calls are given priority over other calls handled by the National Relay Service.[ 106 is a free-to-call number.][
]
Usage
Callers to the free 106 Text Emergency Call number will be asked to type PPP for police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
, FFF for fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
, or AAA for ambulance
An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...
.[ The relay officer will then call the requested emergency service, and relay the call on behalf of the caller. An able caller can also just say 'police', 'fire', or 'ambulance' to the relay officer.][ The relay operator will stay on the line during the entire conversation with the connected emergency service.][
Being as all textphone or teletypewriter (TTY) devices are connected to a fixed telephone line (or ]landline
A landline is a physical telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber from the subscriber's premises to the network, allowing multiple phones to operate simultaneously on the same phone number. It is also referred to as plain old ...
), the emergency service operator be automatically able to determine your geographic location where you are making your call from, however, you will still be asked to confirm the exact address of where the emergency is located.[
It is not possible to call 106 from an ordinary telephone (landline or ]mobile phone
A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...
), nor send an SMS text message, nor use IRC internet relay. It can only be called from a textphone or teletypewriter (TTY) device.[
]
See also
* Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is an Australian government statutory authority within the Communications portfolio. ACMA was formed on 1 July 2005 with the merger of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Aus ...
(ACMA) — official telecommunications regulator in Australia
References
External links
Services for people with disability > Accesshub
— Commonwealth of Australia
Contact the National Relay Service helpdesk
— Commonwealth of Australia
Telecommunications in Australia
Emergency telephone numbers
Three-digit telephone numbers
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