Dial 112 to reach a control centre which, depending on the emergency, determines how to proceed and alerts the relevant organizations, such as the mountain rescue service. Calls to 112 are free of charge, also work with foreign SIM cards and are possible via all networks thanks to the corresponding GSM standards. So if you have a cell phone contract with operator X, but only the network of operator Y is available, the Euronotruf still works (switch off the cell phone, switch it on and use the emergency call function before entering the PIN or enter 112 instead of the PIN). The Euronotruf has priority in all networks. This means that other calls are dropped from the line for the Euronotruf if there are not enough free lines. Further information on the Euronotruf, as well as national emergency numbers of the EU countries.
Some countries have integrated control centers where all emergency numbers converge anyway. Others, however, operate different control centres for different organizations. Depending on the country, there are national emergency numbers in addition to the European emergency number, which may lead directly to the required rescue service, which is why it is sometimes recommended to call the national numbers, although 112 also works.
Emergency call in South Tyrol
The latter was the case in South Tyrol until October 1. A call to 118 led directly to the control center of the South Tyrolean rescue and mountain rescue services. However, the aforementioned special regulations for cell phones did not apply to 118, so when calling with a foreign SIM card, you usually had to call with the area code and it was also not possible to enter the PIN field. Calls to 112 were routed to the nearest Carabinieri control center and were then forwarded accordingly, for example in the event of an emergency at the pharmacy, which led to minor delays.
The system in South Tyrol and Trentino was changed from the first of October and all emergency calls are now routed to two central, technically well-equipped control centers in Bolzano and Trento. In addition to 112 and 118 (rescue/mountain rescue services), this also applies to 113 (police) and 115 (fire department).
The national numbers in South Tyrol therefore no longer offer any potential time advantage over 112 and the official agencies now only communicate 112 as the central emergency number for all types of emergencies. Another new feature is the free app "112 Where are you", which can be used to make emergency calls in South Tyrol and transmit your own position as GPS coordinates.
Further information on the history and organization of emergency numbers in South Tyrol
