Emergencies

Emergency planning

Preston is a safe place to live, work and study. However, it is important to recognise emergencies can occur at any time. The key to cope and sort these emergencies is to be ready for them so you know what to do and who to contact if an emergency occurs.

In the case of an emergency once it has been reported the Police will initiate the emergency response arrangements. Then other non emergency agencies including the council will be contacted if they are required.

In the case of an evacuation, the council has identified a number of buildings that can be used as rest centres for people who may have nowhere else to go. We carry out regular exercises to ensure that our staff working at these centres are fully trained and that the centres themselves can be brought into use quickly and easily.

You can also download our Preparing for emergencies in Lancashire (PDF, 4 MB) booklet.

Emergency contacts

If something is an emergency and requires an immediate response then contact the emergency services on 999.

Emergency services

999 - is the number to contact if you require an immediate response.

999 Emergency SMS Service

If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired you can register for the 999 Emergency SMS Service that allows you to text the police in an emergency from your mobile phone.

This service works throughout the UK on all mobile networks, but it cannot be used from abroad.

You have to be registered to use this SMS service. Simply text 'register' from your mobile phone to 999 and follow the instructions.

Report a crime or concern when it is not an emergency

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired you can contact Lancashire Constabulary to report a crime or concern through the online BSL video interpreting service, SignLive, instead of calling 101.

It's not for use in emergencies, in these cases please use the text service above. But it is for when you have something you want to talk about.

To use the service you need to sign-up through the app or using the Signlive website. When you call Lancashire Constabulary your call will be received by the force control room and a SignLive interpreter will relay your issues to the control room operator on your behalf.

When you sign-up for SignLive you'll also be given a personal extension number which enables the control room to reply back through the SignLive operator.