Handling emergencies

Note important numbers to call in case of an emergency. 998 for ambulance, 999 for police, and 997 for fire department (civil defence). Find contact numbers to report other issues. 
U.Ask

Emergency phone numbers and apps

In case of an emergency, you can call the following numbers while anywhere in the UAE:

  • 999 for Police
  • 998 for Ambulance
  • 997 for Fire Department (Civil Defence)
  • 996 for Coastguard
  • 995 for Find and Rescue
  • 991 for electricity failure.

 

SOS - AD999 app

In Abu Dhabi, use Abu Dhabi Police’s AD999 app to report a fire, request for an ambulance or call the emergency helpline immediately by pressing the SOS button. The AD999 app is available on Google Play and App Store.

Watch these videos to learn more.

 

 

 

The DCAS SOS app

In Dubai, use the DCAS SOS app to request for emergency ambulance services from Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services. The app has an SOS (signal of distress) feature, which determines the exact location of the patient. It provides services for individuals, establishments and people of determination with hearing disabilities and visual disabilities. The DCAS SOS app is available on Google Play and App Store.

 

Read how the police is notified with the help of Advanced Mobile Location when a distress call is made.

Crime, safety and security

Call 999 to report crimes and emergencies while anywhere in the UAE. You can also report through the following channels in the respective emirate.

  • For incidents related to harassment or safety, contact:
    • Abu Dhabi Police through their Aman service on 8002626 or send SMS to 8002828
    • Dubai Police through their Al Ameen service on 8004888 from within the UAE or on +9718004888 from outside the UAE
    • Sharjah Police through their Najeed service on 800151, or send SMS to 7999.

       

  • Hotline for labour complaints: 04-6659999
  • Hotline for human trafficking issues: 8007283
  • Fax: +971 4 217 1644
  • Email: htccc@dubaipolice.gov.ae.

 

 

  • To report violence and abuse of women and children, contact
  • Ministry of Interior on toll free hotline 116111
  • Community Development Authority - CDA on hotline: 800988
  • EWAA Shelter for Women and Children on hotline: 8007283
  • Dubai Foundation for Women and Children on 800111
  • Child protection centre in Sharjah on toll-free helpline number 800 700
  • Woman's protection centre in Sharjah on on toll-free helpline number 800 700
  • Hemaya Foundation for Children and Women - Ajman on hotline: 800himaya (800446292)
  • Aman Centre for Women and Children through RAK Police – 07-2356666 
  • To report abuse of children of determination

  • To report animal abuse, contact
  • Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on hotline 8003050
  • Dubai Municipality on hotline 800900
  • Local municipalities across the UAE
  • Emirates Animal Welfare Society on 9712-5010054.
  • To report human rights issues, use the eServices from:

 You can contact CDA on the toll-free number 8002121 or email at human_rights@cda.gov.ae.

Community concerns

 

 

  • For fake or harmful medicines, contact Ministry of Health and Prevention through the hotline 80011111.   

 

  • For incidents of food safety, violations of animal care or possession of dangerous animals or agricultural pests, report through the BioSecurity website

 

  • For drone accidents, or loss of control of a drone, call GCAA on hotline +971506414667 or send an eMail. 

For tourists

Read about emergency help for tourists in the UAE.

 

Useful links:

Medical emergencies

Call for the ambulance on 998 (from anywhere in the UAE). An air ambulance may be sent for the patient if needed.

UAE's hospitals can handle any medical emergency. During medical emergencies, a hospital will accept you for initial treatment and may transfer you to a hospital better equipped to deal with your problem.

The UAE provides standard medical care and visitors can easily obtain medical treatment from either private or government hospitals. In case of emergency, treatment to stabilise the case is free. Other treatment must be paid for by cash, credit card or insurance.

You can look for medical facilities on the websites of:

If death occurs, the family of the deceased will need to register it and obtain a death certificate. U.ae portals offer detailed information on the process.

 

COVID-19 helpline

Call for help, information and services related to novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

 

Istijaba emergency call centre

Department of Health - Abu Dhabi has a dedicated Istijaba call centre for any emergency requests from inpatients at health care facilities across the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Inpatients can request for urgent medical checkup or diagnosis, a medical bed for critical conditions, rare or critical care medicine specialists, rare blood type requirement and other urgent medical support.

Patients can reach Istijaba through the toll free number 8001717.  Istijaba operates as a direct communications channel with the Medical Operations Command Centre of Department of Health - Abu Dhabi to respond to patients' emergency requests promptly.

 

Related links:

Coronavirus helpline

Call for help, information and services related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) through the following channels:

  • Ministry of Health & Prevention at 800-11111 
  • Estijaba service at the operation center –Department of Health – Abu Dhabi at 800-1717 
  • Dubai Health Authority at 800-342.

 

In addition, virtual help is available through:

  • the ‘Doctor for every citizen’ service which is available on the DHA mobile app on Google Play and App store

National Early Warning System

The National Early Warning System (EWS) project was started in 2017 to ensure safety and protection of all individuals – citizens, residents and visitors of the UAE - and property. The EWS involves sending text messages to people to warn them of the dangerous weather conditions and instruct them on procedures to be followed to stay safe.

Entities authorised to send warning messages

Sending warning messages is limited to entities responsible for the safety of individuals in the UAE. Entities include:

  • National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority
  • Ministry of Interior
  • Police of the seven emirates
  • Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Read more about the National Early Warning System.

Road accidents

Call the police on 999 (from anywhere in the UAE). Inform them about the accident, mention your location and wait for their instructions.

If it is a minor accident and no one is hurt, you can move your car to the shoulder lane to avoid blocking traffic. You should wait for the police at a minimum distance of 15 metres away from your car.

If you or anybody involved in the accident sustains injuries, it is best to leave all vehicles exactly where they are, and wait for an ambulance to arrive.

 

Related links:

Fire

  • Call civil defence on 997 (from anywhere in the UAE).
  • Evacuate the premise immediately. All public buildings are marked with fire exits.
  • Walk towards the exit calmly without rushing.
  • Do not stay behind to collect belongings.
  • If possible, close the doors as you leave to avoid the fire from spreading further.
  • Do not use lifts in case of a fire.
  • If you can, try putting off the fire with the help of extinguishers without risking your life.
  • Do not return to the building until declared safe by the police or civil defence.

Power and water supply failure

Emergency numbers:

If you are in:

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Distribution Company has a round-the-clock call center to respond to electricity-related issues on 8002332. Customers can communication via chat service too.

The outage map

Abu Dhabi Distribution Company has launched an interactive outage map that is updated every 15 minutes to provide customer with outage information for a specified area.

 

The outage map

Dubai

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a round-the-clock contact centre to serve customers at any time of the day on the following number: +971-4-601-9999.

A customer can communicate via Email round the clock, anytime of the day at customercare@dewa.gov.ae.

Northern emirates

Etihad Water and Electricity provides electricity/water emergency service to enable customer to report failures or accidents whether personal or public.

Customers can report failures and accidents through Customer Services Centres or Etihad WE website or its app 'Etihad WE' available on App store and Google play.

Marine accidents

  • If you are in Abu Dhabi, call National Guard ‎on 996.
  • In Dubai, call Dubai Coast Guard on +971 566 8243 43 
  • If you are in other emirates, call the police on 999.

Dubai has seven maritime rescue points. They are:

  • Al Hamriya
  • Coast Guards
  • Dubai Creek
  • Floating Bridge
  • Jumeirah 1
  • Jumeirah 2
  • Jumeirah 3.

Related links:

Injury or death at workplace

In case of an injury or death at workplace, the employer/s must inform Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation within 24 hours from the incident.

Employer/s can contact the ministry by:

Employer/s must provide the following details of the worker/employee:

  • name
  • labour card number
  • property number
  • date of the injury
  • phone number to contact the responsible person.

Employer/s must inform the ministry when:

  • the work-related injury costs a worker absence of three days or more
  • the injury or death has occurred during work or while commuting to or from the workplace
  • the worker/employee has contracted a disease listed under occupational diseases as per UAE Labour Law.

Natural calamities

National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) is the federal entity responsible for the safety of the lives of all citizens and residents on the territory of the UAE and the property of the country.

Read NCEMA guidelines to deal with:

Refer to the guide for emergencies (PDF, 9 MB) for tips to survive during natural calamities and wars.

 

Read on the website of National Center of Meteorology:

 

Find digital services to get latest updates on weather conditions and environmental status.

 

 

Health waether awareness guides

Emergency abroad

If a UAE national is in an emergency abroad, he can contact one of the UAE’s embassies and consulates abroad or Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.

 

You can also contact Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 0097180024.

 

Refer also to:

For people of determination 

In the emirate of Abu Dhabi, people of determination can get help for medical emergencies by sending an SMS to 5999. The SMS must contain information about the incident, location of the patient and a phone number on which the police can contact someone.

Updated On :

29 Oct 2024

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