Better safe than sorry!

Having just moved into your new French home, there’ll be a thousand and one things to do and see. But using the ‘hope for the best – prepare for the worst’ principal, we recommend to our clients to find out about any emergency services they think they may need. This may sound dramatic, but we have been in the situation when an emergency call out was needed in the middle of the night - and it helps to be prepared.

If you have horses, cows or other large animals then go to your vet. If there is an emergency you can’t just stick them in the car and race off – you’ll need the vet to come out. Register with the practice leaving your name, address and telephone number, give them a copy of a map with your property clearly marked on it and explain what animals you have. The doctor is the next visit (or perhaps the first, depending on who has priority in your family!). Repeat the exercise – accepting that they might not be interested in how many horses you have, so best to stick to the 2 legged members of the family. The pompiers will be round at Christmas time with their calendars (don’t forget a donation is expected in return!), so you’ll have time to introduce yourself then. But if it’s already January, it might be worth popping in to see them - though your neighbour or local farmer may be a volunteer fireman so saving you a trip.

Get to know the emergency numbers, write them down and stick them on your fridge or cupboard: Emergency number 112 can be used all over Europe from a mobile and a fixed line; Ambulance 15, Police and Gendarmes 17 and Fire Brigade 18.

If your French isn’t (yet) great, don’t panic. With dictionary to hand, write a list in French of potential problems, put it in a notebook and keep it somewhere handy – and ensure that you can give your address and directions too. This is relatively easy if you have bought the house from an aged local whose family have lived there since it was built - just say their name and it is normally met with a positive ‘ah, oui’. To be on the safe side though, get someone French speaking to help you write a short simple description on how to find your property. Use landmarks and names of neighbours to clarify it all and write down your telephone number in French - with notes to yourself on how to pronounce the numbers.

With luck, you’ll never need to use this advice – but, as ever, “better safe than sorry”!