The answer is yes!
No one ever comes on vacation thinking they will need the services of 911… rarely it happens but if it does…how do you dial 911 from your cell phone?
When dialing other numbers from your cell phone to a land line, you would normally dial a ‘+’ sign, the country code and then the number. No need to do this for an emergency call – JUST DIAL 911. Since 2017, dialing 911 will get you the fire, police and ambulance services for the PV area. Prior to that, they had several 3 digit codes that you would call depending on the emergency service you needed.
If you need immediate ambulance services, it is best to call an ambulance directly – these are privately owned companies. We recommend IMR, the number is +52 322 111 0231. Another company is Aura, the number is +52 322 209 0622. Once you are in the ambulance, you have to tell them which hospital to take you to.
I’ve heard that you can actually be on hold for a bit of time and that it’s likely the person answering the phone only speaks Spanish. There is also a Tourist Police (bilingual officers who serve tourists, that number is +52-329-291-6666.
If you are in a crowded area, your best bet may be to have a Mexican call 911 from their phone. Just shout ‘nueve uno uno!’ (new way vay ooh no ooh no). If you need an ambulance, learn the word in Spanish, ‘ambulancia’ (am bu lance e a).
You need to be able to provide your location to 911 – in Spanish. Provide the cross streets or a complete address if you have one. The public system does not use GPS to track your location via cell but a private ambulance company does.
One last important number, Pam Thompson. Pam is a retired RN that runs a network, Health Care Resources Puerto Vallarta. Pam may be able to advise you where to be transported to and arrange for the physician to be ready and waiting at the hospital. Her number is +52 322 107 7007. Reach out to her now and she’ll guide you through what to do BEFORE you need emergency help.
We’ve heard this experience of calling 911 isn’t consistent, so we’d love to hear your experiences (and other’s would too!)…
