How To Report An Emergency to 911

When facing a crisis, it can be highly stressful to make a 911 call. However, if you know what to expect beforehand, you’ll handle things a lot better when you dial the emergency number.

Here are five important matters you need to address when speaking to a 911 operator.

Prepare Ahead of Time For a 911 Emergency
It’s a good idea to keep a cell phone nearby when you’re at home.  For instance, in case of a swimming accident in your pool, you’ll save precious seconds by not having to run into the house to use the phone. Using a cell phone allows you to stay close to the person in need to answer any questions the operator may ask.   

Be sure you have a legible address on your mailbox or posted on the front of your house. Don’t depend on emergency teams to find your house if the address numbers painted on the front curb have faded away.

Be ready to answer these six questions when calling 911.   

•What is the emergency?
•What happened?
•Where are you?
•Who needs help?
•Who is with you?
•Are you safe where you are?

Give the 911 Operator Essential Information Only.  The operator needs to determine what kind of service you’ll need.  Don’t spend time giving a detailed story of how the emergency took place unless the operator asks.

Be specific. Inform the operator, “I need an ambulance.  My mother is having trouble breathing . . . or my child just swallowed some household cleanser,” or “I see smoke coming off the roof of the house next door.”

These statements allow the operator to know exactly what kind of help you need. If any background information about the emergency is necessary, the operator will probe deeper.

Know The Limitations of Calling 911 From A Cell Phone. A call from a cell phone sends signals through the air.  The signals are picked up by the nearest tower, but that does not tell the dispatcher where to find you.

For cell phone users, you need to help the dispatcher know where you are. Inform the operator of the city you’re calling from, your cell phone number including area code, your name and what type of emergency you’re dealing with.

Act Quickly in Calling 911 When Your Neighbors Need Help. Suppose you’re in your house, and you hear loud noises and screaming from the house next door.  Your neighbors may need emergency help.

Give the emergency operator the address or the approximate address of where the crisis is occurring.  Normally, you don’t have to give your name and address.

Suppose you don’t know your neighbor’s address.  You might need to offer your address and tell the dispatcher the emergency is happening in the green house across the street from yours.

Don’t Hang Up With 911 Too Soon. The rule of thumb is to stay on line with the 911 operator until they tell you, it’s okay to disconnect. Even though you may be in pain, scared for your life or in a state of heightened emergency, there are good reasons why you cannot hang up.

Your initial call may not connect you to the emergency service where you want to be.   You may need to be networked with a specific police department; so stay on the line until you get to the right place.

In case you’re helping an accident victim or someone who’s lost consciousness, the paramedics may need to help you get started performing CPR until they arrive.

The way to be your best in an emergency situation is to be prepared ahead of time.

John 
Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

For more information to better prepare you for emergencies, you can get Intelligence For Your Life:  Powerful Lessons For Personal Growth at your local bookstore or online at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

Comments

[Myles]

John,
Thank you for putting this out to everybody. I work in EMS and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find people's house, they mostly don't have house numbers, or only numbers on one side of the mailbox. And then how many times i get "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG." Maybe you could add online our during your show that when driving and seeing an Emergency Vehicle coming behind you pull to the right where ever you are. We (EMS Providers) are all taught to drive and pass on the right. That is my biggest problem. AGAIN THANKS FOR THIS ARTICLE IT WAS GREAT!!!

~MYLES
Emergency Medical Technician-Intermediate
Ellsworth, Maine