Know the difference
When to call 999 vs. book an electrician
Ideal Spark's emergency intake asks four short yes/no questions to work out how urgent a job is. They're reproduced exactly below, because knowing them in advance is more useful than reading them for the first time mid-emergency.
The four questions
If the answer to any of the first three is "yes", stop reading and call 999. Then, once the immediate danger has passed, come back and book an electrician for whatever's left to fix.
- Is there any fire, smoke, or a strong burning smell right now?
- Is anyone in immediate danger, or has anyone been injured?
- Is water leaking onto electrics, sockets, or the fuse board?
- If it's safe to do so, have you been able to switch the power off at the consumer unit or fuse board?
Why the power-isolated question matters
If it's safe to do so, switching off at the consumer unit (fuse board) removes the electrical risk from most situations, even if the underlying fault still needs an electrician. "Safe to do so" is doing real work in that sentence — never touch a consumer unit that's wet, smoking, or that you'd have to go near standing water to reach.
Answering "no" or "not sure" to that question doesn't mean you did anything wrong. It just means the job gets treated as more urgent, which is the right default when there's any doubt.
What each answer leads to
A "yes" to fire, danger/injury, or water near electrics is always treated as critical — you'll be advised to contact emergency services regardless of what else you answer. Everything else is triaged as urgent or non-urgent based on whether power has been safely isolated, which affects how the matching engine prioritises your request but never withholds it.
Still not sure, or it’s happening right now?
In immediate danger, call 999 first. Otherwise, get matched with an electrician now →