# Emergency dial 112 in Portugal



## jellybean2019 (Sep 30, 2019)

Accident happened: a car hit the stone wall of my house in Portugal: the driver seemed to be hurt and bleeding from his head and the car he drove was badly damaged. The driver broke the windshield of his car with his head upon impact and was bleeding from his cut open head... I ran quickly into the house to call 112. I spoke Portuguese to the operator as good as I could apologising for my weak Portuguese, yet the operator did not budge into English and continued arguing with me while I was telling him "Carrinha avaria, ambulança por favor" (car accident, ambulance please at this address). He kept arguing with me saying what I understood that I have reached some kind of insurance (segurança) agency (at 112 number, really?). It seemed like the 112 operator in Portugal was arguing with me, wasting time while the man in the car accident may have needed medical help. Finally after much arguments the 112 operator hung up on me. I called 112 again and told them this is a serious car accident and need police and ambulance to help. The operator, already a different voice I think, was again telling me something about "segurança", so I understood that I need to call the man's car's insurance company. But this was an emergency and I seemed to not be able to explain in my weak Portuguese or understand what he was saying, and he did not speak to me in English even if I tried to speak English with him. And then the operator hung up on me again. So I thought they are on the way, but hours later I realized that no one came. So we ended up helping the man, and pushing his smashed car out of the way and into my yard for storage. What would happen if the man or me or my family member was dying in Portugal or in a car accident and no one would show up and the 112 operator would turn out to be a time waster, unable to speak any other language and the "112" service a joke... How can I help to improve or to CREATE (?) a 112 service in Portugal?


----------



## dancebert (Jun 4, 2015)

My landlady said the 112 operators direct calls to the appropriate service, e.g. medical, police, fire. Don't give the operator more information than needed, e.g. 'I need an ambulance!', is enough.


----------



## Aden'Soph (Aug 25, 2007)

As you say - a lot of stress, yet 112 should be the universal pan-European emergency helpline. So ideally either main languages multi lingual or offer to find a translator.

We have noticed a hardening of attitudes to 'portuglish' lately. A Brexit spin-off?

Our example was just a week or so ago. Some liquid was spilt during the night on the road past our house and the first we knew of it was the Bombeiros hosing it down whilst slowly passing us, accompanied by GNR. Twice.
Then - in daylight - a car left the bend up the road from us. Alongside our land. Split in two so presumably a _cut-and-shut job. _ The ambulance there for ages with Bombeiros and GNR blocking both lanes, hanging about, so much traffic backed up.
Thinking we were being helpful we went up to the site and neither the Bombeiros or GNR wanted anything to do with our suggestion to detour onto our land (dry enough pre-rain) ... both stressing "sempre fala portugues aqui!" to our variations of "nossa terreno aqui / alí, desvio?"


----------

