For new arrivals: our guide to emergency services in France will help you be prepared for the worst, from the right numbers to call to some basic vocabulary for dealing with a crisis.

On this page:

• National emergency service numbers
  • Common medical emergency vocabulary
• Utility services
  • Paris emergency numbers
  • Anti-poison centres
  • Helplines

Too many expatriate families are caught unprepared to cope with an emergency in their new homes. Make sure you and all your family members know how to get help if you should need it.

National Emergency Service Numbers

All members of the family should practice how to give clear indications in French of your name, address and telephone number — you may come across an operator who speaks English but there is no guarantee of this.

Don't forget the code to your parking lot or apartment building.

Never hang up until you are invited to do so.

If you have known medical problems or regularly take prescription drugs, make sure you know how to say their names in French to the operator.

If you have children, be prepared to cite their ages and how much they weigh (in kilograms) in case you need to call an anti-poison centre or to administer medication.

There are three main emergency services in France: the SAMU (Service d'Aide Médicale d'Urgence), the fire brigade and the police. 

The SAMU is the national, publicly run emergency service that deals only with very serious cases. The SAMU provides both ambulances and specialist medical teams.

It is important to note that the French fire brigade, les pompiers, is trained and equipped to deal with medical emergencies. They provide an ambulance service with their specially equipped vans. In France it is very often the fire brigade who are called first to deal with road injuries and domestic accidents and in many areas, especially rural regions, they will be fastest to the scene. They coordinate with all other emergency services and will, if the situation demands, call in the specialised SAMU emergency medical service. 

The sapeurs-pompiers are also trained to deal with medical emergencies

The national police force in France is divided between the Police Nationale and the gendarmerie. Very broadly, the Police Nationale is reponsible for urban areas while the gendarmerie covers the rural regions. From wherever you call the emergency number for the police you will be directed to the appropriate service.

It is advisable to also note down the normal, eight-digit number for your local police or gendarmerie station. In all large towns there is also a secondary police force managed by the local town hall and with limited powers, called la police municipale.

Medical emergency/accidents/ambulance (SAMU):  15

• The SAMU is the coordinated service to call in case of any serious medical emergency.

Fire brigade: 18

• The French fire brigade, called les sapeurs pompiers, can also be called in cases of medical emergencies, such as traffic and domestic accidents.

Police: 17

• This number puts you in contact with the appropriate emergency police services nearest you, whether that be the police nationale or the gendarmerie. For non-urgent situations, make a note of the direct phone number for your nearest police station (commissariat de police or gendarmerie).

All emergencies from a mobile phone: 112

• This is the pan-European emergency number which can be called in any emergency from your mobile phone. As it's a Europe-wide number, you can also ask to be connected to an English-speaking operator.
  

Common medical emergency vocabulary

To call for help under any circumstances is:

• Au secours!

Ambulance: une ambulance 

• J'ai besoin d'une ambulance.

Heart attack: une crise cardiaque

• Mon mari fait une crise cardiaque.

Stroke: une attaque cérébrale 

• Je pense que ma femme a souffert une attaque cérébrale.

Choke (as in something stuck): s'étouffer  

• Mon bébé s'étouffe.

Difficulty breathing/gasping: haleter   

• J'halète.

To bleed: saigner       

• Je saigne beaucoup.

A hemorrhage: une hémorragie   

• Mon mari fait une hémorragie.

Concussion: une commotion cérébrale  

• Mon enfant est tombé. A-t-il une commotion cérébrale?

Diabetic: diabétique   

• Je suis diabétique. J'ai besoin d'insuline.

Labor: accouchement/accoucher 

• Ma femme accouche; la poche des eaux a percé. (Her water has broken.) Le bébé arrive.

To be poisoned: s'empoisonner 

• Mon enfant s'est empoisonné.

Utility Service Urgencies

There is no national number for any of the utility services, which have urgency hotlines according to the region where you live. Make a careful note of the number given to you for your area; you can find it marked on every gas/elecricity/water services payment receipt.

Paris emergency numbers

• Emergency doctors (SOS Médicins): 01 43 37 77 77
• Psychiatric emergencies: 01 45 65 81 08
• Dental emergencies: 01 43 37 51 00  
• Out-of-hours chemists: 01 45 62 02 41
• Anti-poison centre: 01 40 05 48 48  
• Spousal abuse hotline: 01 40 33 80 60

Anti-poison centres

• Angers: 02 41 48 21 21
• Bordeaux: 05 56 96 40 80
• Grenoble: 04 76 76 56 46
• Lille: 08 25 81 28 22
• Lyon: 04 72 11 69 11
• Marseille: 04 91 75 25 25
• Nancy: 03 83 32 36 36
• Reims: 03 26 06 07 08
• Rennes: 02 99 59 22 22
• Rouen: 02 35 88 44 00
• Strasbourg: 03 88 37 37 37
• Toulouse: 05 61 77 74 47

Helplines

• (All 08 numbers are toll-free.)
• SOS Help, an English-language helpline in Paris: 01 46 21 46 46
  Available from 3 to 11pm daily all year long. This is not an 24/7 emergency services number.
• SOS child abuse: 119 
• SOS emergency housing for the homeless: 115
• SOS Drug/Alcohol Addiction: 113
• Public services hotline (toll number): 39 39
• Emergency medical treatment (SOS Médecins): 08 20 33 24 24
• Rape hotline: 08 00 05 95 95
• Victims of violent crime hotline: 08 10 09 86 09
• AIDS helpline: 08 00 84 08 00
• Drug addiction helpline: 08 00 23 13 13
• Hepatitis information helpline: 08 00 84 58 00
• Red Cross: 08 00 85 88 58

Updated November 2005

Copyright Expatica

Subject: Living in France, Survival Guide, French emergency services, SAMU, pompiers, anti-poison centre