Who to call in an emergency

112 or a specific number?

Both work and both are free. 112 is the single number staffed by operators trained to work in English, so it is the right default if you are new here, unsure who you need, or the situation involves more than one service. Call 155, 158 or 150 directly if you know exactly which service is needed and can give a Czech address clearly — it saves one transfer. Always say where you are first: street, number, district.

Not an emergency, but you need help

Free, confidential lines for mental health crisis (116 123), victims of crime and domestic violence (116 006), women's crisis support and exploitation at work — plus the official register of counselling services in Prague.

Who to trust in a crisis

Prague Compass is an English-language pointer to official information — never the authority itself. Rely on, in this order:

1. Czech government and emergency authorities
2. Prague City Hall and your city-district office
3. Fire Rescue Service, Police and the Emergency Medical Service
4. Public-service media: Czech Radio (ČRo) and Czech Television (ČT)
5. The operators involved — for example the transport company, energy or water supplier

Prague Compass is not one of these sources. It only summarises them in English. If anything here differs from what official sources or emergency services say, follow them.

Prepare for an emergency: 72 hours on your own

The government's 72 hodin guidance asks every household to be able to manage for three days without help. In a crisis these can stop working: running water, electricity and heating, phone, TV and internet, card payments, shops and fuel stations, public transport.

• Bottled drinking water — the official guide suggests about 2 litres per adult per day — plus sealable containers
• Non-perishable food for the whole household for 72 hours
• First aid kit and a week of any medication you take regularly
• Cash in coins and small notes, in case card payments stop
• Battery-powered radio, torch, charged power bank and spare batteries
• Copies of important documents, also saved on your phone
• Food and supplies for pets

Agree in advance where your household will meet if you are separated and cannot call each other, and who looks after anyone with specific needs. Write key phone numbers on paper.

Keep the car above half a tank if you might need to leave the city. Petrol stations, including LPG and CNG points, are mapped from the official base map.

If you're told to shelter: what the sirens mean

Czechia uses three siren signals. Only one of them is a warning to the public.

• General Warning — a real warning

  Všeobecná výstraha

  Sounds like: A rising and falling (fluctuating) tone for 140 seconds. It may sound up to three times, about three minutes apart. Electronic “speaking” sirens add a spoken message.

  What to do: Immediate danger. Go inside the nearest solid building straight away, close doors and windows, switch off ventilation and air conditioning, and follow instructions on Czech Radio, Czech Television and from the emergency services.

• Monthly siren test — not an emergency

  Zkušební tón

  Sounds like: A steady, unbroken tone for 140 seconds at 12:00 noon on the first Wednesday of the month (it can be a few minutes early or late). Electronic sirens then announce “Zkouška sirén” — siren test.

  What to do: Routine testing of the siren network. You do not need to do anything.

• Fire alarm — calls out firefighters, not the public

  Požární poplach

  Sounds like: About one minute of siren with a short 10-second break in the middle — two long blasts. Electronic sirens may instead imitate a trumpet calling “HÓ-ŘÍ, HÓ-ŘÍ”.

  What to do: Summons volunteer fire units. It is not a warning to the public.

When you hear the General Warning

1. Get inside the nearest solid building — home, work, a shop or an office. A bus shelter or a car is not enough.
2. Close all doors and windows, seal gaps, and switch off ventilation and air conditioning.
3. Keep away from large glass surfaces.
4. Follow Czech Radio, Czech Television or a battery radio for instructions. Avoid unnecessary calls so mobile networks don't overload.
5. Stay inside until the emergency services or authorities say otherwise.

If you're told to evacuate

Before you leave

• Put out any fire in stoves or heaters; close windows and doors; switch off ventilation; shut off water and gas.
• Put a note with name, address and contact details in the pockets of children and anyone vulnerable.
• Tell your neighbours and offer help. Lock your home.
• If you go to friends or relatives instead, leave word of that address so rescuers know where you are.

What to take

• ID card or passport, health insurance card, copies of key documents, keys
• Cash and payment cards
• First aid kit and a week of regular medication; glasses or contact lenses
• Water, a day's non-perishable food, phone and charger, power bank, paper list of phone numbers
• Battery radio and torch, sturdy shoes, warm clothes, blanket or sleeping bag
• For children: toys or a book. For pets: food, medicine, carrier, lead and muzzle

Where to go — the assembly point and route — is announced by the authorities at the time. Prague Compass cannot know it in advance and does not guess. If you leave by car, think about the weather and whether fuel will be available.

Using this page without internet

Once Prague Compass has been opened with a connection — in the browser or as an installed app — this page is saved on that device and should then open without a connection. This is not guaranteed: some browsers clear saved data, and it does not include the official websites or PDFs linked here — download those separately. The safest backup is the downloaded PDFs and the numbers 112 and 155 written on paper.