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911 Tips
911 lines are reserved for emergency calls to report a crime in progress, or a fire, or to request an ambulance. Using 911 for non-emergency calls may delay the arrival of help for people caught in real emergencies. The following tips have been retrieved from the FCC and are provided to assist that 911 is used for emergency services only.
- Do not program 911 into a quick or auto dial feature of your phone. You won’t forget the number and programming the number into your phone may increase the chance that the number may be called accidentally.
- Dial 911 for emergencies only. An emergency is any serious medical problem, any type of fire, or any life-threatening situation (fights, people with weapons, etc.). Many jurisdictions also encourage citizens to dial 911 for any crime in progress, whether or not a life is threatened.
- Do NOT dial 911 for a non-emergency. Instead, call the agency’s normal listed 7 or 10 digit listed number. A non-emergency incident is a property damage accident, break-in to a vehicle where there is not a suspect, theft of property (when the suspect is gone), panhandlers, loud neighbors, or any incident that occurred in the past and is no longer an emergency.
- If you accidentally dialed 911, do not hang up. Instead, stay on the line and tell the operator that you dialed the number by mistake and do not have an emergency. If you hang up, an operator will call you back to confirm that there is no emergency. If you don’t answer, a law enforcement officer will be sent to your location.
- Be prepared to describe your location and the location of the emergency. Although an Enhanced 9-1-1 system will display your telephone number and location, the dispatcher must confirm the displayed address or may ask you for more specific location information about the victim or suspects.
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