You may have seen our yellow and green ambulances driving around, sometimes with flashing blue lights, those lights mean we are trying to get to people in an emergency.

When we say emergency, we mean someone is seriously hurt or very sick. When you make a call to us, we’ll send our a team of paramedics, these people are a bit like nurses and doctors, they are trained and there to make you feel better and get you the urgent help you need.

When to call 999

We help people in an emergency; when a person has very sick or hurt and needs help right away.

• If you, a friend or a family member need help in an emergency, shout for help – as loud as you can possibly shout – and call 999 for the emergency services. Someone on the phone will ask what service you need, stay calm and ask for an ambulance.

• We will answer your call and ask you questions so that we can help. Keep calm and listen carefully to the questions – they are very important and will help you look after the person who is hurt or ill.

• We will ask you where the emergency is, so we know where to send help. If you are at home, we need to know the number of your house and the name of your street.

Tip: if you don’t know your address, look in your house for a letter, or if you are outside and someone is nearby, ask if they know where you are.

If the person you are with isn’t breathing, you may be asked to do CPR. If you do not feel confident doing this please let the person on the phone know.

Read and learn the tips above and you could save someone’s life.

There is a little video below, where Esmee aged 6, teaches you how to call 999.

A note for adults

At North West Ambulance Service, we like to recognise young people who are brave in emergency situations. If you or someone you know has dialled 999 and saved a life, please tell us so we can consider the child for our Junior Lifesaver Award for bravery. We’ve had children as young as four call us, handling emergency situations like pros!