112 - telephone number of the unified duty dispatch service of the Emergency Situations Department.

The 112 number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to receive reports of a threat or emergency or other cases requiring emergency assistance. You should only call this number if you need emergency assistance when there is a real threat to life, health, property, the environment, or if there is a real cause of these threats.

As in many countries, in addition to the 112 number, Kazakhstan has all emergency numbers:

• firefighting service 101;
• police 102;
• ambulance 103;
• gas emergency service 104.

Under all circumstances, it may be more appropriate to call a particular emergency service directly. In this case, a call to the emergency number from any phone (mobile, landline, public pay phone) for you will be free of charge.

When applying for help at 112, it is necessary to clearly and concisely report:

1. the cause of the call;
2. the exact address of an incident;
3. to say your last name, your first name;
4. if possible, to answer all the dispatcher's questions calmly and legibly.

Do not switch off first, but wait for the dispatcher to finish the call. Remember, the information he asks for is very important. Do not lose patience and be angry if you do not understand the nature of the questions asked, as the dispatcher evaluates the need for emergency assistance and the need to call the various emergency services to provide full assistance.

When you are done talking, try not to occupy the phone line from which you have called unless you need to do so. The dispatcher may need to contact you for more information or to give you additional advice.

If the situation on the scene changes (has improved or deteriorated), call 112 again and report it.

If possible, meet rescuers and show the nearest route to the scene.

Probably, not everyone knows that the functionality of the emergency number is weaved into the mobile phones, therefore, you can call 112 even if your mobile phone does not have a SIM-card, does not catch the operator's network or you have a negative balance.

However, you should keep in mind that even if you make an emergency call to an emergency number without a SIM card, the operator will see a unique phone number (IMEI) and, if necessary, will be able to identify you. It would be too infantile to hope that the call is completely anonymous.

Responsibility for the false call of emergency services is provided by Article 438 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the RK "On Administrative Offences" and entails a fine for individuals up to 30 MCIs. Repeated call, within a year, or call made during the period of elimination of accidents, fires, consequences of natural disasters - up to 60 MCIs.

Such actions committed by minors are punishable by a fine of 15 MCIs for parents or persons in loco parentis.

The penalty for "Knowingly making a false report about an act of terrorism" is provided for in Article 273 of the "Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan" and entails imprisonment for up to 6 years.

Note to parents

Please explain to the children when it is possible to call the 112 service, teach them how to independently make a call to the rescuers by calling 101 and 112 in case the child is left alone at home and there is a threat to his life. Make sure that your child is able to give his or her name, surname, parents' surname, home address and place of work.

Teach children not to be afraid to call 112 if they have any doubts about calling or not to call in case of danger. But explain that calling emergency numbers is strictly forbidden for the sake of jokes.

Source: emer.gov.kz