An emergency is sudden.
In Australia people call 000 to get help.
Police come when there is an accident or danger.
Fire engines come when there is a fire.
An ambulance comes when someone is sick or injured.
The SES come when floods or storms damage your home.
These are all people who help us in an emergency.
A flood is an emergency. Getty Images
What is an emergency?
An emergency is a sudden, unexpected happening that needs immediate attention or action.
In Australia, we call 000 to get urgent help. An emergency call is free. There are people ready to answer the phone all day every day.
Many people are ready to help in an emergency.
A road emergency. Getty Images
Police use dogs to help in some emergencies. Getty Images
Police
Police officers are trained to do the job of keeping the community peaceful and safe by making sure that everyone obeys the laws. Laws are made by the government. Laws are the rules that are made to keep people safe. People call police if they have been burgled or attacked, in the case of an accident, if they are in difficulty and need help.
Police arrest law breakers
Police arrest the people who break those laws and take them to court where other people together decide on a punishment. If there is a crash or any kind of accident, police help anyone who is injured, and call for other emergency services such as an ambulance or the fire brigade. They direct traffic away from the accident to keep everyone safe. They ask questions, find people who saw the accident, and work out how the accident happened.
Police control traffic
Police control traffic, help people by giving directions, and help anyone in trouble. They search for lost people. They help rescue people.
There are many different jobs in a police force. Officers in uniform work on the street.
Detectives are special police officers, trained to find out who has committed a serious crime.
Search and rescue
Helicopter rescue. Getty Images
The Search and Rescue squad is a special group. They are experts in searching for people who go missing or have an accident in places like the mountains, snow, wilderness, the sea. They are expert divers also, and conduct underwater searches for missing divers or people trapped in wreckage. Their equipment includes radios, diving, bush walking and climbing equipment. They use helicopters as well as heavy duty vehicles. Helicopters are used when people are trapped or injured in difficult to reach spots. A rescue officer is lowered from a helicopter, straps the person to himself or herself, and is winched back up into the helicopter.
Police use cars, motor cycles, bicycles and horses, helicopters, and boats to help them in their work. Police dogs also help police, by tracking lost people or locating drugs using their excellent sense of smell.
Read about police work around the world
https://kids.kiddle.co/Police_officer
Download an activity booklet for kids by the Victoria Police in Australia:
https://www.police.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/21352-Primary-Kids-Activity-Book-LR.pdf
Fire emergency. Getty Images
Firefighters
Read the kidcyber page:
Read about fire trucks:
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/firefighting.html
State Emergency Service
Time to call the SES! Getty Images
Each state in Australia has a State Emergency Service (known as the SES). Volunteers provide emergency help during and after natural or other disasters. A natural disaster is something like a severe storm, flood, mudslide or similar things. Other disasters are things like explosions or accidents.
The SES may also help the police or fire fighters. For example, in a bushfire, the SES fill the water bombing helicopters when they come back to get more water. When people are told to leave their homes in a disaster like bushfire or flood, the SES runs the places they go to, which are called evacuation centres. People stay there until it is safe for them to return to their homes. When they do return to their homes, the SES helps clear the damage.
The SES on call 24 hours a day, every day.
Helicopter ambulance. Getty Images
Ambulance Service
When people call an ambulance in an emergency, like an accident or sudden bad illness, the people who come are paramedics. They give life support, bandage a wound, stop pain and get an injured or sick person ready to be moved to hospital.
On the way to hospital, paramedics keep treating the patient and keep watch over them. Paramedics also work when it is not an emergency, moving people to hospital or back home, being at big public gatherings like concerts or football matches in case someone needs urgent attention.
At other times, they must make sure that each ambulance is ready to go, with all its equipment in place ready for use. Ambulances are on call 24 hours a day, every day. Sometimes a helicopter called an air ambulance is called for the longer trips to hospital for seriously ill or injured people.
