The first call made to 9-1-1 was made in 1968. Forty years later, Congress officially recognized April as National 9-1-1 Education Month. This was an initiative of the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition, an alliance of various organizations including NENA, the National Emergency Number Association, and iCERT, the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies.
Below are some tips for when you make a call to 9-1-1. (We hope you never have to!)
- If you call 9-1-1 accidentally, don’t hang up! The dispatcher will need to call you back, wasting precious time for real emergencies.
- Call 9-1-1 when you are in an emergency that requires policemen, firemen, and/or ambulances.
- Give your location to the dispatcher and respond to their questions, staying as calm and composed as possible during the call.
- Listen to the dispatcher for instructions and guidance regarding your emergency.
- Be aware of your location if you use a cellphone – most wireless calls do not have good location information
- If you can’t talk, you may beable to text 9-1-1 in approximately 6% of the country. Alternativey, you can use RapidSOS Haven to text the rest of the 94% of the country.
Be smart and stay safe!
You can learn more about 9-1-1 from the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition.
