Do's and Don'ts of 9-1-1

• 9-1-1 is to be used for emergencies only.  An emergency is any serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding), any type of fire (business, car, building), any life-threatening situation (fights, person with weapons, etc.) or to report crimes in progress.

• Do not dial 9-1-1 for a non-emergency. Instead, dial the 10- digit non-emergency telephone number (301)-333-4000. A non-emergency incident is a property damage accident, break-in to a vehicle when suspect is gone, theft of property (when suspect is gone), vandalism (when suspect is gone), panhandlers, intoxicated persons who are not disorderly, or cars blocking the street or alleys. 

• Do not program 9-1-1 into your auto-dial telephone. You won't forget the number, and programming the number invites accidental dialing of the number.

• Please do not dial 9-1-1 to "test" your phone or the system. This needlessly burdens the 9-1-1 system with non-emergency calls and prevents call takers from answering true emergency calls.

• Do not call 9-1-1 to ask for directions, to obtain a phone number of another County agency, or to contact a police officer, Sheriff’s deputy or fire fighter.  These calls prevent call takers from answering emergency calls.

• 9-1-1 calls are answered by a highly trained call taker.  If all call-takers are busy on other calls, the 9-1-1 call is answered by a call distributor that holds the call, and then automatically routes it to the first available call-taker. Do not hang up if you reach a recording, and try to call back. Stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it is received. If you hang up, your call will be delayed because you will be placed at the end of other callers.

• If you dialed 9-1-1 in error, do not hang up the telephone. Instead, stay on the line and explain to the call-taker that you dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. If you hang up, a call-taker will call back to confirm that there is no emergency. If you don't answer, a police officer will be dispatched to confirm that you are OK. This will needlessly take resources away from genuine emergencies.

• When the call-taker answers, briefly describe the type of incident you are reporting. For example, "I'm reporting an auto fire," or "I'm reporting an unconscious person," or "I'm reporting a shoplifter." Then stay on the line with the call-taker ---do not hang up until the call-taker tells you to. In some cases, the call-taker will keep you on the line while the emergency units are responding to ask additional questions or to obtain on-going information.

• Be patient as the call-taker asks you questions. While you are answering the call-taker’s questions, he/she is entering the information into the dispatch system. The information is being gathered while emergency response units are enroute.  The questions that are being asked do not delay the dispatch of the police or fire/EMS units.

• Let the call-taker ask you questions---they have been trained to ask questions that will help prioritize the incident, locate it and speed an appropriate response. Your answers should be brief and responsive. Remain calm and speak clearly. If you are not in a position to give full answers to the call-taker (the suspect is nearby), stay on the phone and the call-taker will ask you questions that can be answered "yes" or "no."

• Be prepared to describe your location and the location of the emergency. Although an Enhanced 9-1-1 system will display your telephone number and location, the call-taker must confirm the displayed address or may ask you for more specific location information about the victim or suspects.

• If you are a cellular caller, your telephone number and location should be displayed for the call-taker reference. However, some telephones are not equipped with the technology to send the information to the 9-1-1 center.  You must be able to describe your location so emergency units can respond. Be aware of your current city or town, address, highway and direction, nearby cross-streets or interchanges, or other geographic points of reference.

• Occasionally, cellular 9-1-1 calls are routed to a 9-1-1 center in another County.  Be prepared to give the call-taker your complete location---city or town, address or location, inside or outside, what floor or room, etc, to ensure appropriate response.

• Be prepared to describe the persons involved in any incident. This includes their race, sex, age, height and weight, color of hair, description of clothing, and presence of a hat, glasses or facial hair.

• Be prepared to describe any vehicles involved in the incident. This includes the color, year, make, model and type of vehicle (sedan, pick-up, sport utility, van, tanker truck, flatbed, etc.). If the vehicle is moving or has left, the call-taker will need to know the last direction.

• Listen to the call-taker’s instructions for assistance if you are in danger yourself. The call-taker may tell you to leave the building, secure yourself in a room or take other action to protect yourself.

• Don't hang up until the call-taker tells you to. Follow any instructions the call-taker gives you, such as meeting the officers at the door, or flagging down the firefighters at the curb.

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Office of Homeland Security Public Safety Communications 9-1-1

Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications 9-1-1 center processed over 1.5 million calls within the last year, with the majority of these calls answered within 10 seconds or less.  The calls are processed by highly trained professional 9-1-1 call takers. 

To ensure prompt and efficient service, 9-1-1 calls are processed through an automatic call distribution system to each call-taker, where the call for emergency services is handled.  Each call taker is trained to handle Police and Fire/EMS calls; therefore, callers that require Fire Department or Emergency Medical Services response are not transferred to another agency when the call is answered. 

There are occasions when call volume exceeds the number of call-takers.  If all call-takers are busy on other calls, the 9-1-1 call is answered by an automatic call distributor that holds the call, initiates a recording instructing the caller not to hang up, and then automatically routes it to the first available call-taker.  It is very important that callers remain on the line if the recording is initiated.  The call will be answered by the next available 9-1-1 call taker.

If a caller hangs-up up before the call-taker answers, the computer system retains the caller’s phone number and address and presents the information to the 9-1-1 call taker.  The call-taker will then attempt to call back to ensure there is no emergency.  If there is no answer, a police officer will be dispatched to the caller’s address.

The advent of the cell phone has increased the call volume in 9-1-1 centers across the country, and also leads to potential delays in call processing.  If there is an accident on the beltway, a brush fire on the side of the road or any other highly visible incident, passers by will call 9-1-1 to report the problem.  The sudden spike in calls for the same incident causes delays in call processing because the number of calls exceeds the number of people to answer the phone.  It also leads to the possibility that someone with another emergency will not get through.

9-1-1 is to be used for emergencies only.  It should be used to report all fires, medical problems, life threatening situations, crimes in progress and crimes that just occurred.  Do not dial 9-1-1 for a non-emergency situation that requires dispatch of public safety personnel. Instead, dial the 10- digit non-emergency telephone number (301)-333-4000. Examples of non-emergency incidents that requires dispatch of public safety personnel is a property damage accident, break-in to a vehicle or theft of property that occurred several hours ago, vandalism when suspect is gone, loud music or parties, or cars blocking the street or driveways. 

Since 9-1-1 is a universal number, many citizens use this number to obtain information, request directions to homes or County facilities, request call transfers to other State, Municipal or County agencies, and for referrals to appropriate agencies.  These calls account for approximately 10% of the calls processed in the 9-1-1 center.  They also prevent 9-1-1 personnel from answering emergency calls that require immediate response.  Even the one or two minutes it takes for a 9-1-1 call taker to transfer a citizen to the local police station or to refer a citizen to the appropriate agency may mean the difference between life and death of someone in a fire, suffering from a stroke, or experiencing a violent attack.