Emergency number 1722 active: risk of storm or flooding

“For storm and water damage for which you need assistance from the fire brigade, you can submit an application via the e-counter www.1722.be or dial 1722. Only call 112 for potentially life-threatening situations.

Preferably use the e-counter

Submitting a digital request via the e-counter 1722.be is the most direct way to request fire assistance, but you can also call 1722 in situations that are not life-threatening.

If you submit a digital request via 1722, your request will be sent directly to the fire service. If you call 1722, it is still the operators in the emergency centers 112 who will handle the calls to 1722. They handle the calls on separate telephone lines, so that they can handle the most urgent calls to 112 first, such as from people with a heart attack or whose house is on fire. If your fire department has its own e-counter, you can also go there.

How does the e-counter work?

If you request assistance via the 1722 website, you must first enter your municipality and contact details, after which the website will forward your request to the assistance zone. The website can also refer you to a local e-desk of your fire service. The e-desk will help you to make a choice for which you need the fire brigade. If you cannot find your choice, it is best to ask yourself whether it is a problem for which the fire service should intervene. Wait patiently for the arrival of the fire brigade after you have submitted an application and do not contact again to inquire where the fire brigade is. The fire service looks at each situation and gives priority to those who may be in mortal danger. During a storm or flooding, the fire service has to deal with many requests at the same time and you have to wait a little longer because the fire service first has to help people who are in mortal danger.

Call 1722

If you call the number 1722, you must first enter your zip code and then you will hear the following message:

“Welcome to 1722. The fastest way to request fire service assistance is via the digital counter on the website 1722.be. If you don’t have internet, stay on the line. Do not call 112. You will not be helped on this emergency number. 112 is reserved for situations where a life is or could be in danger.”

Preferably use the e-counter. This avoids that you may have to stay on the line for a long time before you get an operator on the line. After all, sometimes the telephone lines become saturated when many people call at the same time. An application via the e-counter is handled by the fire service in the same way as a call to 1722. You will therefore not be helped faster if you call 1722.

If you cannot handle the digital counter, if you do not have internet or if the e-counter does not work due to technical reasons, you can of course call 1722, you can stay on the line and after the automatic message via 1722 you will receive a operator on the line.

Who do I call if I need help?

Ask yourself whether a life may be in danger and whether an intervention by the fire brigade is necessary.

• I call 112 when I urgently need an ambulance or the fire brigade, because someone’s life may be in danger. Examples: risk of collapse, danger on public roads (fallen tree, cut cable, fallen stones, …), fire risk, incident with injuries, …

• I use the e-desk of the fire brigade www.1722.be or call the number 1722 when there is no risk of mortal danger but I need the help of the fire brigade. Examples: a lot of damage to the roofing, flooded basement, flooding on the public road,…

• I call a qualified professional (or I carry out repairs myself) if there is no risk of danger to life and the damage does not require intervention by the fire brigade. The numbers 112 and 1722 may not be used in those cases. Examples: fallen tree in the garden, damaged veranda, hail damage to a vehicle, power failure, …

Priority to people in danger

The 112 emergency centers and the fire brigade always give priority to those who may be in mortal danger. They look at the situation on a case-by-case basis and decide who should be helped first. During a storm or flooding, they have to handle many applications at the same time. The purpose of the e-counter 1722 and number 1722 is not to overload the emergency centers 112 and not to keep people in danger waiting.

Be patient and don’t call back to find out when emergency services will arrive. Only the numbers 112 (fire brigade, ambulance) and 101 (police) are emergency numbers. In the event of a storm or flooding, you only call 112 if there is a possible danger to your life. The number 1722 is activated preventively when a storm or flooding is announced.

The fact that the number is activated says nothing about the seriousness of the warning and the extent of any damage. When, under normal circumstances, there is no risk of a storm or flooding and the number 1722 has not been activated, you can call the emergency number 112 for any urgent assistance from an ambulance or an intervention by the fire brigade.