9-1-1 DO’S AND DON’TS

q       DO use 9-1-1 for the dispatch of police, fire, or medical equipment.

q       DO teach your children or grandchildren how to use 9-1-1 wisely in case of an emergency…If a parent or relative is sick or unconscious, if a child is lost and can find a phone or pay phone, if a molester or suspicious person is bothering the child or friends, or if your child or another child is injured.

q       DO use a payphone to report emergencies including accidents, crimes in progress, or crimes just occurring. (The 9-1-1 call is FREE.)

q       DON’T call 9-1-1 to ask when power will be restored during an outage, how the road conditions are, or whether schools are open.  Contact your utility company or monitor local radio and television of road, weather, and school information.

q       DON’T hang up when you dial 9-1-1 in an emergency; our dispatchers will need information from you in order to send the appropriate help.

q       DON’T hang up when you dial 9-1-1 accidentally or our dispatchers will have to take time to call you back and verify if you have an emergency, taking them away from actual emergency calls.

q       DON’T let your cordless battery run down away from the charger.  Some cordless phones send out a false 9-1-1 signal when they are discharged.

q       DON’T play with 9-1-1 or make false calls.  It is a violation of the law that is punishable by fine or imprisonment.