|
 The
9-1-1 emergency telephone system is in place to assist citizens with
POLICE, MEDICAL or FIRE emergencies. It should be realized that
non-emergency calls to the 911 system can create delays in handling
other very serious emergencies that require immediate attention.
When you SHOULD
use 9-1-1:
- Report a crime in
progress
- A fire
- Serious illness or
injury
- Any situation
requiring an IMMEDIATE response by the police, fire department, or
EMS personnel
For any other situation
that is a NON-EMERGENCY, call 336-2525.
- To get the time or
date
- To get a phone
number (dial 4-1-1 for this)
- To find out when the
driver's license station is open
- To report improper
parking
- Find out what the
weather is doing
- Road conditions
(dial 5-1-1 for this)
(Note: These are actual
things that people have called Dickinson County 9-1-1 for)
When you dial 9-1-1,
the dispatcher who answers your call will need to gather information
such as what the nature of the call is (medical, traffic accident,
etc.), the location, your name and a phone number where you can be
reached. The most important thing you can do when you call 9-1-1 is to
REMAIN CALM! While the situation may be very stressful, do
everything you can to stay calm. This will allow the dispatcher to
gather the information faster and thus get emergency personnel to you
more quickly.
Do not hang up until
the dispatcher says it is ok to do so. Depending on the situation, the
dispatcher may want you to remain on the line until emergency
personnel arrive.
Everyday the
Communications Center receives 9-1-1 calls from people who did not
intend to dial 9-1-1. We understand that accidents happen but we ask
that if you do accidentally dial 9-1-1, that you do not hang up. Once
you dial 9-1-1, the phone company sends your phone number to our computer. We
receive that data even if you try to hang up. It is our policy to call
back if we get a 9-1-1 call like this. We do this to
make sure there is not a real emergency. We will also notify the
police department serving you to let them know we received an
accidental 9-1-1 call. An officer may stop by your house to verify
that there is not an emergency. |
