911 Tips

Since 911 is for emergencies only, it helps to understand when to call and when not to call. 911 should be used for crimes in progress, life threatening situations, medical/fire emergencies, and any unknown situation.

There are certain questions to expect during your 911 call.

Our 911 call takers are trained to ask the 5 W's on all emergency calls. Those 5 W's are:

• Where?
  This is the most important information that a 911 caller must have.
• What?
  What is the problem that is causing you to call 911?
• When?
  This helps to determine the urgency of the call.
• Who?
  Who is causing the problem? Suspect description?
• Weapons?
  Are there any weapons involved or present? Our goal is to keep our responders and citizens safe, so it is important to know if there is a weapon involved in the emergency.

Here are some tips for when you make that call to 911:

• Know the location of the emergency.
  When calling 911, call takers need to verify the location of the emergency. Providing an accurate address or location when calling 911 is critically important. If you do not know the address, the call taker may guide you to look for landmarks or familiar buildings to help with your location.
• When calling 911 do your best to remain calm and answer questions.
  Staying calm is crucial when calling 911. We understand that it can be difficult, but it is important that you remain calm so the call taker can get as much information as possible from you.
• If you do call 911, even by mistake, do not hang up the phone.
  If you call 911 by mistake, please stay on the line and let the call taker know that you called by mistake. If not, the call taker is required to call you back and confirm that there is no emergency.
• Teach your children how to call 911.
  Let your children know what 911 is and show them how to dial it from your phone. When calling 911 your child needs to know their name, telephone number, and most importantly their address. Teach them how important it is to answer all the call takers questions and to stay on the phone until they are told to hang up.

911 Checklist to Remember

• Remain Calm
• Listen to and answer the questions being asked
• Do not lose your patience
• Do not tell the call taker to hurry;
• Do not hang up until the call taker says it is okay to hang up

Downloadable Brochure with this information(PDF, 1000KB)