Emergency services and Mountain Rescue

When something goes wrong in the hills, knowing exactly who to call — and what to say — saves precious time. Below is a country-by-country guide to the general emergency numbers and dedicated mountain rescue services across Europe, North America and Oceania. Save the relevant numbers to your phone before you set off.

The one number to remember: 112

112 works in every EU country (plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and many others) from any mobile phone, free of charge, on any network. If your own network has no coverage, your phone will still attempt the call through any other available network. If in doubt anywhere in Europe, call 112 and ask for mountain rescue.

Ireland 🇮🇪

General emergency: 112 or 999
Mountain rescue: Call 112/999 and ask for Mountain Rescue — the call is routed through An Garda Síochána, who task the local volunteer team
Mountain Rescue Ireland coordinates 12 volunteer teams covering the island, including Dublin/Wicklow, Kerry, Galway and the Mournes

United Kingdom 🇬🇧

General emergency: 999 or 112
Mountain rescue: Call 999/112, ask for Police, then ask for Mountain Rescue
In coastal or sea-cliff areas, ask for the Coastguard instead
Tip: register for the emergency SMS service (text ‘register’ to 999) — vital in areas with signal too weak for a voice call

France 🇫🇷

General emergency: 112 (also 15 medical, 17 police, 18 fire)
Mountain rescue: Handled by the PGHM (Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne) and CRS Montagne — call 112 and you’ll be routed to them
Major massifs (e.g. Chamonix/Mont Blanc) have direct PGHM bases, but 112 is the reliable universal route

Spain 🇪🇸

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: The Guardia Civil GREIM (mountain rescue and intervention groups) — tasked via 112
GREIM covers the Pyrenees, Picos de Europa, Sierra Nevada and other ranges

Portugal 🇵🇹

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: No single dedicated number — rescues (e.g. in the Serra da Estrela, Peneda-Gerês, Madeira and the Azores) are coordinated through 112 via the GNR and civil protection services

Belgium 🇧🇪

General emergency: 112 (101 for police)
Mountain rescue: No dedicated mountain rescue service — incidents in the Ardennes and on crags are handled by the regular fire and medical services via 112

The Netherlands 🇳🇱

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: None (no mountains!) — 112 covers all outdoor emergencies

Germany 🇩🇪

General emergency: 112 (110 for police)
Mountain rescue: The Bergwacht (part of the German Red Cross) — alerted via 112
Covers the Bavarian Alps, Black Forest, Harz and other upland areas

Switzerland 🇨🇭

General emergency: 112 works nationwide
Mountain rescue: Rega (Swiss Air-Rescue): 1414 — the primary number for mountain and helicopter rescue
In canton Valais, rescue is coordinated by the cantonal service via 144
The free Rega app transmits your GPS position automatically when raising the alarm — strongly recommended
Note: rescue in Switzerland is not automatically free — check your insurance or become a Rega patron

Austria 🇦🇹

General emergency: 112 (144 ambulance, 133 police)
Mountain rescue: 140 — the dedicated Alpine emergency number for the Bergrettung (in Vorarlberg, use 144)
The SOS EU ALP app (covers Austria, Bavaria and South Tyrol) sends your coordinates with the alarm
As in Switzerland, rescue can be chargeable — many hikers carry Alpine club membership (e.g. ÖAV/Alpenverein) for rescue cover

Italy 🇮🇹

General emergency: 112 (the single European number now covers most regions; 118 still works for medical emergencies)
Mountain rescue: The Soccorso Alpino (CNSAS) — tasked via 112/118
Rescue arrangements and costs vary by region, so insurance cover is advisable in the Alps and Dolomites

Slovenia 🇸🇮

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: The GRZS (Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia) — tasked via 112
Covers the Julian Alps, Kamnik-Savinja Alps and Triglav National Park

Slovakia 🇸🇰

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: 18 300 — the direct line to the Horská záchranná služba (HZS), covering the High Tatras, Low Tatras, Malá and Veľká Fatra
Unlike Poland next door, mountain rescue in Slovakia can be charged to the casualty — insurance is strongly recommended in the Tatras

Czechia 🇨🇿

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: The Horská služba — direct line +420 1210 — covering the Krkonoše (Giant Mountains), Jeseníky, Šumava and other ranges

Poland 🇵🇱

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: 985 or +48 601 100 300 — direct lines to TOPR (Tatra mountains) and GOPR (all other Polish ranges)
The Ratunek app raises the alarm and sends your GPS position to TOPR/GOPR
Rescue in Poland is free of charge

Norway 🇳🇴

General emergency: 112 (police, who coordinate search and rescue), 113 (ambulance), 110 (fire)
Mountain rescue: No separate number — the police via 112 task the rescue services, including the Red Cross rescue corps (Røde Kors Hjelpekorps) and Norwegian People’s Aid volunteers
Rescue in Norway is free of charge

Sweden 🇸🇪

General emergency: 112 (SOS Alarm)
Mountain rescue: Fjällräddningen, the police-coordinated mountain rescue service — alerted via 112
Rescue is free of charge

Denmark 🇩🇰

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: None needed — Denmark has no mountains; all outdoor emergencies go through 112

Finland 🇫🇮

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: No separate number — wilderness and fell rescues (Lapland etc.) are coordinated through 112 by the police and Border Guard
The official 112 Suomi app sends your location automatically and is well worth installing for remote areas

Iceland 🇮🇸

General emergency: 112
Mountain rescue: ICE-SAR (Landsbjörg) volunteer teams — tasked via 112; rescue is free of charge
The 112 Iceland app sends your location with the alarm and can leave breadcrumb check-ins on longer routes — essential for the highlands, where conditions change fast and coverage is patchy

USA 🇺🇸

General emergency: 911
Mountain rescue: No separate number — call 911 and search and rescue is coordinated by the county sheriff, or by the National Park Service rangers inside national parks
Rescue is usually free, but a handful of states can bill for negligent callouts — and helicopter medical evacuation can be charged separately
In many backcountry areas there is no mobile coverage at all; a satellite communicator (or an iPhone/Android with satellite SOS) is strongly recommended

Canada 🇨🇦

General emergency: 911
Mountain rescue: No separate number — 911 routes to the police (RCMP or provincial), who task volunteer SAR teams; in the mountain national parks (Banff, Jasper, Yoho etc.), Parks Canada Visitor Safety handles rescue
Ground SAR is free; as in the US, vast areas have no mobile coverage — carry a satellite communicator in the backcountry

Australia 🇦🇺

General emergency: 000 (112 also works from any mobile)
Mountain rescue: No separate number — 000 routes to the police, who coordinate bush search and rescue with state SAR squads and volunteers
For remote walks (e.g. Tasmania’s Overland Track, the Australian Alps), a PLB or satellite communicator is strongly recommended — many national parks loan PLBs free of charge

New Zealand 🇳🇿

General emergency: 111
Mountain rescue: No separate number — 111 routes to the police, who task LandSAR volunteers and rescue helicopters
Rescue is free of charge
For the Great Walks and alpine routes, carry a PLB (cheap to hire nationwide) and log your intentions with the free Plan My Walk / outdoor intentions system

Quick reference

🇮🇪 Ireland — 112 / 999 (ask for Mountain Rescue)
🇬🇧 UK — 999 / 112 (ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue)
🇫🇷 France — 112 (PGHM)
🇪🇸 Spain — 112 (Guardia Civil GREIM)
🇵🇹 Portugal — 112
🇧🇪 Belgium — 112
🇳🇱 Netherlands — 112
🇩🇪 Germany — 112 (Bergwacht)
🇨🇭 Switzerland — 1414 (Rega) / 112
🇦🇹 Austria — 140 (Bergrettung) / 112
🇮🇹 Italy — 112 (Soccorso Alpino)
🇸🇮 Slovenia — 112 (GRZS)
🇸🇰 Slovakia — 18 300 (HZS) / 112
🇨🇿 Czechia — +420 1210 (Horská služba) / 112
🇵🇱 Poland — 985 / +48 601 100 300 (TOPR/GOPR) / 112
🇳🇴 Norway — 112 / 113
🇸🇪 Sweden — 112 (Fjällräddningen)
🇩🇰 Denmark — 112
🇫🇮 Finland — 112
🇮🇸 Iceland — 112 (ICE-SAR)
🇺🇸 USA — 911
🇨🇦 Canada — 911
🇦🇺 Australia — 000 (or 112 from mobile)
🇳🇿 New Zealand — 111 (LandSAR)

Before you call — and before you go

Know your location. In HiiKER, tap your position on the map to read off your coordinates — rescuers will ask for them first
Be ready to describe: what happened, how many people are involved, injuries, weather at your location, and any hazards
Don’t hang up until told to, and keep your phone on for a callback
No signal? Move to higher ground or a ridge and try again — 112 will connect through any available network. With no PIN or SIM restrictions, dialling 112 usually still works
Save the local rescue number and download the local rescue app (Rega, SOS EU ALP, Ratunek, 112 Suomi, 112 Iceland) before travelling
Consider rescue insurance for the Alps and Tatras — unlike Ireland and the UK, rescue in Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia and parts of Italy can be charged

Stay safe out there — and remember: it’s always better to call early than too late. Rescue teams would far rather turn around than arrive after dark to a preventable emergency.