WHEN SHOULD YOU DIAL 911?

Emergency 911 is an emergency communication service.

YOU SHOULD DIAL 911 TO REQUEST:

POLICE
FIRE
AMBULANCE ASSISTANCE

For routine matters, such as police reports, civil or tax matters, contacting the jail and ticket costs, you should not use 9-1-1. In these instances you should call the Sheriff's Office Administration Line 562-2210.

For routine calls to other public agencies, use the local published numbers.

Q: Is the information given to Emergency 911 protected by "privacy rules"?

A: You can be assured that the information about you, your address, your phone number, the circumstances of your call and what you said to Emergency 911 attendant will be protected at your request. If you are in danger or see someone in danger, call Emergency 911 and your conversation will remain private.

The most important thing to remember when calling 9-1-1 for help is to LISTEN and do what the dispatcher(s) ask you to do. After the necessary key information has been exchanged (usually in less than 30 seconds), they may ask you to stay on the line and assist in handling the emergency situation.

Remember, trained dispatchers never ask questions that are unnecessary. Your job is to answer the questions to the best of your ability in plain English. If the dispatcher asks you to leave the phone to get information, DO NOT HANG UP. If you hang up, you could break your only link with the help you need.

Appropriate response depends on you to relay the following minimal information through your dispatcher:

• Patient problem or type of incident
  

• Approximate age
  

• Conscious: yes/no (or alert)
  

• Breathing: yes/no (or difficulty)

Is it possible to get help from Emergency 911 if a caller is unable to speak or hear?

Yes. Our Emergency Communications System has a feature called ALI (Automatic Location Identifier) and a TDD unit.

ALI displays the address of each incoming call on the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatcher's computer screen within seconds. Even if a caller cannot communicate verbally because of injury, panic, age, language barrier - even persons who cannot hear or speak - will get help. ALI also saves critical minutes.