What Happens When You Call 9-1-1?

9-1-1 was established as a national number for notifications of emergencies in late January, 1968 by a Congressional declaration. In 1972, the FCC established that 9-1-1 should be implemented nationwide to provide expedient, professional assistance to citizens in need.

9-1-1 Dispatchers must be able to field hundreds of incoming calls each day, determine the best course of action, and forward that information to the appropriate resource. Most people only call 9-1-1 once or twice in their lifetime. Listen to the dispatcher. Please let the dispatcher ask the questions. They are trained to know what questions to ask and will save valuable time in getting you the assistance you may require. Have the necessary information ready to aid the dispatcher in sending you the appropriate resources quickly and efficiently.

What is that information?

• Know the address of your emergency or the nearest intersection. Don’t forget your apartment number or space number.
• Know the phone number you are calling from. This allows the dispatcher to call you back for further information or directions.
• Be able to describe the problem (that is, the reason for your 9-1-1 call).

The dispatcher is gathering The Five W’s of a call:

• WHERE?  Where are you and where did the incident happen?
• WHAT?  This is the nature of the problem; it’s a brief description of what occurred.
• WHEN?  Time element---five minutes ago, five days ago, last year.
• WHO?  How many people are involved? This could be descriptions of people and/or cars.
• WEAPONS?  Did the person have a weapon? If so, what kind?

Remain calm. Trust that help is being sent, even if the dispatcher is still asking questions or giving instructions. You are speaking to a live person---trained to help you through this emergency. Be mentally prepared to follow instructions. Our dispatchers are able to provide instructions that can help to ensure the safety of the patient, including yourself (such as CPR instructions, the Heimlich Maneuver, etc.).

Stay on the line until the dispatcher states that we can hang-up. Remember: while we are still talking to you, we are also sending help.

You can call 9-1-1 from any payphone, landline, and cell phone. You can even text 9-1-1, although this service may not yet be available everywhere in the United States. Regardless of what kind of phone you use to reach us, the questions remain the same. You should know that in using a cell phone or texting 9-1-1, your location is not as accurate because these devices are mobile. Know the location of your emergency and tell us immediately.