Who Do I Call in an Emergency?

An emergency operator asks what happened and where help is needed. Depending on the emergency, the call may be passed to police, an ambulance service, firefighters or Civil Protection. The operator may ask more questions and give you instructions while help is arranged.

Not every emergency gets the same type of response, and response times vary.

When you call:

Your location is one of the most important details. Don't assume the dispatcher can see exactly where you are.

Try to give:

English-speaking help isn't guaranteed on every call. Quintana Roo's visitor-assistance service has described bilingual staff, but we can't confirm that every 911 operator speaks English.

If you need help in English, ask: “¿Habla inglés?” — “Do you speak English?”Hear it

If not, use short Spanish phrases to explain the emergency and give your location. Don't delay calling 911 because you're worried about your Spanish.

Yes. Calls to 911 are free, and Mexico's telecom rules require phone companies to connect 911 and 089 calls even from a phone with no prepaid balance.

Your phone still needs a working network connection. Having no prepaid balance isn't the same as having no cell signal.

For a medical emergency, call 911. Emergency dispatch can send an ambulance when appropriate, but the provider, transport arrangements and destination depend on the situation.

Is an ambulance free? Calling 911 is free. Ambulance transport and medical treatment aren't necessarily free: charges can depend on the provider, the type of service, your insurance and the hospital.

Which hospital will the ambulance take me to? There's no rule that every patient goes to a particular hospital. The destination can depend on the emergency, available services and the medical assessment. In a serious emergency, don't delay getting help to compare hospital prices.

Hospital General de Playa del Carmen is Playa's public general hospital, with an emergency department. It's on Avenida Constituyentes at Avenida 135, in Ejidal (see it on the map). We don't list a phone number for it because official listings give different numbers. For a medical emergency, call 911.

For an active fire, an explosion or a dangerous gas leak, call 911. First, get away from the danger.

If you suspect a gas leak:

Call 911 if there's immediate danger to people or property, such as dangerous flooding, a fallen live power line, an electrical fire, an explosion or a structural hazard.

Stay away from fallen power lines and from flooded areas where there may be electricity. Follow instructions from emergency services and Civil Protection.

For preparedness and other non-urgent questions, the city's Civil Protection office also has a direct line. For immediate danger, call 911.

Don't wait 24, 48 or 72 hours to ask for help. If someone is missing and you're worried about their safety, report it right away. For immediate danger or an active emergency, call 911.

Quintana Roo also has a government commission that searches for missing people. It has a 24-hour line; check with the commission for how to make a report.

Guest Assist is Quintana Roo's government visitor-assistance service. It can help visitors find information and support for problems that aren't an immediate emergency, such as lost travel documents, how to report an incident, and which services are available.

Guest Assist isn't a replacement for 911.

For immediate danger, call 911.

For hurricane preparation, evacuations and storm safety, follow official Civil Protection announcements. Don't assume a shelter is open unless there's a current official announcement.

Tap a number to call it. For an extension, wait for the line to answer, then dial or ask for the extension.