As Easy as 9-1-1
Dealing with numbers has never been one of my strengths. Being an expat from the U.S. just complicates things. There are too many numbers to remember. Miles into kilometers, pounds into kilos, dollars into pesos are just a few of the challenges my neophyte mind has to grab onto. Thankfully, I don’t have to learn a new emergency number. 911 has come to Playa del Carmen.
It was not too long ago that you would have to dial 060 for the local police, 065 for the Red Cross, 068 for the fire department or 080 for security and emergency. In fact, there were at least 13 numbers one should know in case of an emergency- including one for kidnapping. Fortunately as of October 3rd 2016, Mexico has rolled out dialing 911 as the only phone number needed for emergencies in sixteen states. Quintana Roo, home of Playa del Carmen, is among the chosen states for phase one of the roll out.
066, the current emergency response system, was not comprehensive enough for Alejandro Marti, president and founder of SOS Mexico (a public safety watch group). He proposed the change to 911 as it is used in many countries including the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador. It makes the three digits an obvious choice for Mexico; a magnet for many tourists from around the Americas.
The Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) has implemented that all 911 calls be free of charge even on cell phones with no “minutes” on them. It will also have geo-tracking so emergency services can reach you even if you do not speak into the phone. It is important to note that you should immediately say “en Ingles, por favor” should Spanish not be your strong suit and English is. This will make the process much faster in getting you the help you need. It is also good to note that while all the other emergency numbers are to phase out, you can still dial 089 for anonymous calls (the “whistle blower” line).
The states included in phase one of the 911 roll over are Baja California, Coahuila, Colima, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, our Quintana Roo, Sonora, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Zacatecas. The second stage is scheduled to begin January 3rd 2017 including the states of Baja California Sur, Mexico City, Campeche, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Aguascalientes, Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Yucatan, Guerrero and Michoacán.
So do not ask me how many liters of blood I have lost in my do it yourself building of a couch out of crates and pallets accident. That number is not important. Just call 911 for me. It’s a number I hope you will never have to use but at least it is easy to remember.
Irv Santana is a native New Yorker with a PhD in people watching. His degree helps him with freelance writing, photography, stand up comedy and general maintenance work. He lives in Playa del Carmen, México with his girlfriend and one and a half dogs. You can follow him on twitter @Swirv72.