Emergency numbers in Czechia consist of the single number 112 plus direct lines for each service: 155 — ambulance, 158 — State Police (Policie ČR), 156 — municipal police (městská policie), 150 — fire brigade (hasiči), 1210 — mountain rescue (Horská služba). The 112 line works around the clock, is free from any phone — even without a SIM card or a signal from your own carrier — and dispatchers speak Czech, English and German.
Bookmark this page: alongside the true emergency lines, we've gathered numbers for "almost-emergency" situations — poisoning, a car breakdown on the highway, a gas smell, a burst pipe, a power outage. And at the end there's a mini phrasebook: what to say to a dispatcher in Czech if panic wipes every word from your mind.
| Number | Service | When to call |
|---|---|---|
| 112 | Single emergency line (tísňová linka) | Any life-threatening situation, complex incidents, or when you don't know who to call or don't speak Czech |
| 155 | Ambulance (zdravotnická záchranná služba) | Threat to life or health: loss of consciousness, chest pain, severe bleeding, injury |
| 158 | State Police (Policie ČR) | Crime, traffic accidents with casualties, threats to safety |
| 156 | Municipal police (městská policie) | Public disturbances, noise, illegal parking — anywhere the city has set its own rules |
| 150 | Fire brigade (Hasičský záchranný sbor) | Fire, hazardous material leaks, rescue from rubble or stuck lifts |
| 1210 | Mountain rescue (Horská služba) | Accidents in the mountains: injuries on a trail, getting lost on a route |
Calls to 112, 150, 155, 156 and 158 are free from any phone. The 1210 line is usually billed as a regular outgoing call at your carrier's rate (some carriers offer it free of charge).
Czech rescuers advise the following: if you know exactly which service you need, call the direct number — 155, 158 or 150. You'll be connected straight to the right dispatcher and save precious minutes. Number 112 is more useful when the situation is complex (say, a traffic accident with injuries and a fire), when you're not sure who to call, or when you can't explain yourself in Czech: 112 operators take calls in Czech, English and German. Another advantage of 112 is that the call goes through any carrier's network, even from a phone without a SIM card.
If an accident happens in the mountains — Krkonoše, Šumava, Jeseníky, Beskydy — call 1210. One important detail: in border areas your phone often latches onto a neighboring country's network, and the short number may not go through. That's why Horská služba recommends saving the number in international format — +420 1210. The call is usually charged at your carrier's rate (some carriers make it free), while the mountain rescue's actual assistance to those in trouble is free of charge. If you have the Záchranka app installed (more on it below), it will detect via GPS that you're in the mountains and alert both medics and mountain rescue simultaneously.
For poisoning by medication, household chemicals, mushrooms or plants — whether it's an adult, a child, or even a pet — the Toxikologické informační středisko (TIS) at the Všeobecná fakultní nemocnice hospital in Prague provides round-the-clock consultations: 224 919 293 and 224 915 402. Toxicologists are on duty and will tell you whether the dose is dangerous, whether you need an ambulance, and what to do before it arrives. Call them before you attempt to induce vomiting or rinse the stomach — with some poisonings, that only makes things worse.
If your car breaks down on the highway, round-the-clock roadside assistance services are available: ÚAMK — number 1230 ("yellow angels") and Global Assistance — number 1220. The call-out and repairs are paid services, but if you have roadside assistance included with your car insurance, help is often already covered — check your insurer's card before paying. For more on what mandatory insurance covers, see our guide to povinné ručení. In an accident with injuries or a dispute over fault, call the police at 158 — we explain when this is mandatory in our article on traffic fines in Czechia.
If you smell gas, open the windows, don't switch on lights or appliances, leave the premises and call the nationwide gas emergency line 1239. It operates across Czechia around the clock and is dialed without a code, just like the emergency service numbers.
Power grid emergencies are handled by your region's distributor: ČEZ Distribuce — 800 850 860 (free, 24/7), PREdistribuce in Prague — 1236, EG.D in the south of the country — 800 22 55 77. Your distributor's name is printed on your electricity bill; we've covered how to read these bills in our article on utility payments in Czechia. A burst water pipe in Prague is handled round the clock by Pražské vodovody a kanalizace: 601 274 274. Other cities have their own water utility numbers — check the local vodárna's website and save the number in advance.
For children and teenagers, Linka bezpečí — 116 111 — operates free of charge around the clock. Crime victims get free support from the 116 006 line run by Bílý kruh bezpečí. Both lines are anonymous.
The free Záchranka app is an official project of the Czech emergency medical service, and it's worth installing if you live in Czechia. Here's how it works: hold the emergency button for 3 seconds, and the app dials 155 while simultaneously sending the dispatcher your exact GPS location, name, phone number and medical data from your profile (allergies, diagnoses, medications). If there's no internet, your coordinates are sent via SMS instead. The app automatically detects if you're in the mountains or near water and alerts Horská služba or water rescuers as well. For anyone who isn't yet confident speaking Czech, this is a huge advantage: your address and details are transmitted automatically, so you barely have to explain where you are. Download it from the App Store or Google Play — registration takes just a couple of minutes.
The dispatcher needs three things: what happened, where it happened, and who's calling. Speak slowly, answer the questions, and never hang up first — the operator will end the call once they have everything they need.
| Czech | English |
|---|---|
| Potřebuji pomoc. | I need help. |
| Stala se dopravní nehoda. | There's been a traffic accident. |
| Někdo je v bezvědomí. | Someone is unconscious. |
| Silně krvácí. | They're bleeding heavily. |
| Hoří byt. | The apartment is on fire. |
| Cítím plyn. | I smell gas. |
| Moje adresa je… | My address is… |
| Nemluvím dobře česky. Mluvíte anglicky? | I don't speak Czech well. Do you speak English? |
| Pošlete sanitku, prosím. | Please send an ambulance. |
For more ready-made phrases for everyday and stressful situations, see our collection of Czech phrases for daily life.
Yes. Calls to 112 are free and go through from any mobile phone, even without a SIM card, without credit, and via a network belonging to a different carrier — as long as there's some mobile signal in that location.
Yes. 112 is the single emergency number across all EU countries and in a number of neighboring states as well. If you travel from Czechia to Germany, Austria or Poland, dial the same 112 and local rescuers will take the call. However, the direct Czech numbers 155, 158 and 150 don't work outside of Czechia.
Operators on the 112 line take calls in Czech, English and German. On the direct numbers 155, 158 and 150, there's no guarantee of a foreign language, so if you don't speak any Czech at all, call 112 or use the Záchranka app, which transmits your coordinates automatically.
155 is only for threats to life and health: unconsciousness, chest pain, severe bleeding, serious injury. For a high fever, toothache, or minor injury in the evening or on weekends, people go to the pohotovost walk-in service — read our guide on how it works and where to go in ambulance care and pohotovost in Czechia. Looking for medication at night? Check our list of 24-hour pharmacies in Prague.
A malicious call or blocking an emergency line is an offense that carries a substantial fine, and in serious cases even criminal liability. Making a genuine mistake isn't a problem: if you called by accident, don't hang up — just calmly explain to the operator that help isn't needed.
An ambulance callout and rescuer intervention are covered by public health insurance — you don't need to pay anything on the spot. That's exactly why it's so important that your insurance, and your children's, is set up correctly: see the details in our article on health insurance for foreigners.
The numbers for shorter emergency lines occasionally change — before saving them to your phone, double-check against the relevant service's website. And if you need help with paperwork, insurance, or communicating with doctors after an incident, take a look at our directory: trusted doctors, lawyers and translators in Czechia.
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