9-1-1 Do's

Here are some useful (for me) do's for calling 9-1-1.  Hopefully, you'll never have a chance to use them.

Do's:

**  Do try to always have a your location, even if it's just a general area.  9-1-1 calls do not work they way they are portrayed on TV.  I've had a lot of people call in a panic, with absolutely no idea where they are.  They usually just scream at me to "Just f*****g trace it!"  It doesn't work that way.  There are PhaseI calls and PhaseII calls.  A PhaseI area can be the size of an entire county.  A PhaseII call is usually within a block or so, but even then, it will take officers a long time to find you.  If you're having a heart attack or someone has broken into your home, that might be time you don't have. 

**  Do be patient with us.  If you call 9-1-1 with a medical emergency, we have a lot of questions to ask.  We are all Emergency Medical Dispatch certified, meaning we can give CPR instructions, talk someone through childbirth or the Heimlich maneuver.  We gather as much info as we can to expedite the process.  We are in constant contact with the EMTs and doctors/nurses at the emergency room.  The more information they have, the better the outcome.  I'm sure it seems like we're wasting time, but we multi task.  We're experts at dispatching and asking questions at the same time.  Help is coming, even as the questions are being asked.  Please be patient and hang with us.

** Do stay on the line if you accidentally butt dial 9-1-1, or thought you had an emergency but changed your mind.  You're not in trouble and it's a whole lot easier for us if you're still on the line.  We will still send someone to check on you (it's policy) but it's easier if you're still there. 

** Do try to remain calm.  I know this is a tough one.  In a true emergency people panic.  Sometimes they just scream.  Sometimes they hyperventilate.  Sometimes they lock up.  It's understandable.  We're trained to calm down panicky people, but that takes valuable time.  Try, try, try as hard as you can to remain calm and clear headed.  The sooner we can get the information we need, the sooner you will get help. 

**  Do bring us cookies if we've done something to help you.  We like cookies.