Emergency Numbers and What to Do First: A Moradabad Household Guide

Emergencies are not the time to look things up. The households that handle them well are the ones that did fifteen minutes of preparation on an ordinary afternoon — saved four numbers, agreed who calls whom, and put a folder somewhere everyone knows about.

This is that preparation, written for Moradabad specifically.

The numbers to save today

What to say when you call

Operators need four things, in this order. Give them without waiting to be asked:

1. Where. Locality, nearest recognisable landmark, and the road. In Moradabad, landmarks work far better than plot numbers — "opposite Pratama Bank, Prince Road, Civil Lines" gets a vehicle to you faster than an address.
2. What. One sentence. "Man collapsed, not breathing." "Two-wheeler and car collision, one person bleeding heavily."
3. How many people are affected, and rough ages.
4. Your callback number, and then stay reachable. Do not call anyone else on that phone.

Send someone to the main road to flag the ambulance in. Inside colonies and old-city lanes this routinely saves several minutes.

Medical emergencies: the first ten minutes

The decision that matters is speed to a facility that can treat the specific problem — not reaching the best-known hospital in the city.

• Chest pain — call an ambulance rather than driving. Note the time symptoms started. Do not let the person walk if avoidable.
• Stroke signs (face droop, arm weakness, slurred speech) — note the exact time symptoms began. Treatment windows depend on it and it is the first question you will be asked.
• Serious bleeding — firm direct pressure with whatever cloth is available. Keep pressing; do not lift to check.
• Burns — cool running water for twenty minutes. No ice, no toothpaste, no oil.
• Snakebite — keep the person still and get to a hospital. Do not cut, suck or apply a tourniquet.

Have one family member go ahead to start admission paperwork while the patient is in transit. Know in advance which hospital you would go to at night, and keep a verified ambulance operator saved alongside 108.

Cyber fraud: the golden hour is real

Online financial fraud is now among the most common emergencies a Moradabad household will actually face, and it is the one where speed most directly determines whether you get your money back.

1. Call 1930 immediately — within the first hour if at all possible. Reporting fast is what allows the transaction to be frozen.
2. Report online at the national cybercrime portal as well.
3. Call your bank and block the card or account.
4. Do not delete anything. Screenshots, messages and transaction IDs are the evidence.
5. File a written complaint at your local police station.

Fire and gas

Domestic gas cylinder incidents remain a common cause of household fires. If you smell gas: do not switch anything on or off, do not use the phone inside, open windows, close the cylinder regulator and leave. Call 101 from outside.

Keep the cylinder in a ventilated space, get the rubber tube replaced on schedule rather than when it looks worn, and make sure at least two people in the household know how to close the regulator.

Women's safety

Beyond 1090, the UP Police operate a women's power line and station-level women's help desks. For harassment, stalking or domestic violence, a call to 1090 can be made by a family member or friend as well as the person affected, and the caller's identity is protected.

For anything requiring a written complaint, go to the nearest police station — under the law an FIR for a cognisable offence must be registered regardless of which station's jurisdiction the incident falls in.

Road accidents

NH-9 runs through the district and the city's arterial roads carry heavy two-wheeler traffic, so road accidents are among the most common emergencies here. If you come across one:

1. Call 108 and 112. Give the road name and the nearest landmark or kilometre stone.
2. Make the scene safe if you can — hazard lights, and someone warning oncoming traffic from a safe distance.
3. Do not move a person with a suspected spine or neck injury unless they are in immediate danger from fire or traffic.
4. Control heavy bleeding with firm direct pressure.
5. Stay until help arrives. Under the Good Samaritan protections, a bystander who helps an accident victim cannot be harassed for doing so, and you are not obliged to give a statement on the spot.

For a family member injured on the road, the destination matters: head for a hospital with a functioning emergency and orthopaedic cover rather than the nearest clinic. Keeping a 24-hour hospital and an ambulance number saved in advance is what makes that decision fast.

Utilities and household emergencies

Not every emergency needs a siren. Save a working number for each of these before you need one at 11 pm:

• A licensed electrician for mains and meter faults — see electricians and plumbers.
• A plumber for a burst line or a failed motor.
• Your electricity supply office complaint number for area outages.
• A veterinary contact if you have pets — several pet clinics take after-hours calls.

The household folder

Assemble this once and photograph the lot into your phone. Keep a duplicate at any elderly relative's house.

• Insurance cards, policy numbers and TPA helpline numbers.
• Ayushman Bharat card, if eligible.
• Aadhaar copies for every family member.
• A current medication list for each person, with dosages and allergies.
• Blood groups.
• Your chosen night-time hospital and its number.
• Two emergency contacts outside the household.

The medication list is the item most often missing and most often needed. A treating doctor who knows what someone is already taking makes better decisions in the first ten minutes.

Agree the plan out loud

Say these things to your family once, so nobody improvises: who calls the ambulance, who calls the extended family (later, not first), who collects the folder, who goes ahead to the hospital, and who stays with children. Five minutes of conversation removes the confusion that otherwise costs the first quarter of an hour.

Frequently asked questions