What Happens When You Dial 911
- First and foremost you must try to remain calm when talking to the dispatcher.
- These questions seem to take up time when your waiting for help, but these questions provide very valuable information for the 911 dispatcher and emergency service providers responding to your call for assistance.
- The questions determine:
- How serious the condition or situation is
- What agencies to send, so you get the proper help (ambulance, police, fire)
- How the service responds, (lights and siren, or not
- How the emergency responders may prepare for the emergency
- While the dispatcher is obtaining information from you, there is a second dispatcher on the line listening to your call. Once the second dispatcher hears the location, nature of the incident and obtains enough information from the questions being asked, he or she will dispatch the appropriate services while you are still answering the series of questions. Help is dispatched within a short period of time, even though there may be a few more questions asked.
THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CALLING 911 FOR AN EMERGENCY:
SPEAK CLEARLY / GIVE YOUR NAME
PROVIDE THE NATURE OF THE EMERGENCY
GIVE THE EXACT LOCATION
ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY
REMEMBER HELP IS BEING DISPATCHED AS SOON AS ENOUGH INFORMATION IS OBTAINED
DO NOT HANG UP UNTIL INSTRUCTED TO DO SO