|
When to Call 9-1-1? |
|
Call 9-1-1 when
it is an emergency and a prompt response is needed. Call
9-1-1 if it is a life-threatening situation or something is
occurring at the time of the call. Fire, medical problem,
assault, fight, traffic accident or any situation that could
result in loss of life or major property loss should be called in
to 9-1-1.
|
|
What
Happens When You Call 9-1-1? |
|
When you call
9-1-1, a call taker will ask what service you need: fire,
police, or medical. You will be asked questions which the
call taker is trained to ask. Keep your answers as short and
direct as possible. Questions could include: |
- What happened?
- What is the location?
- Where are you calling from?
- What is your name?
|
|
Please do not
assume that the call taker has the information on the computer.
All facts need to be verified to ensure that your emergency is
handled as quickly as possible.
|
|
Why
You Should Stay On the Line? |
|
While you are
on the phone with the call taker, he or she can send your call to
the dispatcher. Staying on the line does not interfere with
the ability of the call taker to dispatch help and it will not
delay the response.
The call taker may need you to stay on the line to help direct the
emergency help to the right location or to provide additional
assistance that can help ensure your emergency is handled
correctly. If it is possible, do not hang up the phone until
the 9-1-1- call taker says it is okay to hang up. |
|
|
What
Should You Do If You're Put On Hold? |
|
If you call
9-1-1 and reach a recording which states that all lines are busy,
stay on the line- your call will be answered as quickly as
possible.
If you hang up and re-dial, you will lose your place in line and a
call taker will receive a message that someone from your phone
called 9-1-1 and then hung up. The call taker is then
required to attempt to call you back; meanwhile if you are calling
in to 9-1-1 again, two call takers are now attempting to respond
to your call.
|
|
When
To Call The Non-Emergency Number? |
|
The
non-emergency number is 822-2101, which you can dial 24 hours a
day for non-emergency police help. Using the non-emergency
number keeps 9-1-1 available for true emergencies. 9-1-1
call takers receive non-emergency calls often; most frequently the
call is from someone wanting to report a crime which occurred a
few hours, or even a few days, ago.
Some examples of times when you should call 822-2101 are: |
- Your house or car was broken into
yesterday.
- Your runaway child has returned
home.
- You need to add additional items to
the burglary report which you made last week.
- Your car was stolen sometime
overnight.
- Your bike was stolen while you were
at school.
|
|
|
|
Frequently
Asked 9-1-1 Questions |
|
Why
does 9-1-1 ask so many questions when I call for help? |
|
Your answers to these
questions provide needed information to the fire, medical, or
police responders. |
|
|
Does
answering all those questions slow down how quickly someone is
dispatched to me? |
|
No,
in fact if it is a real emergency, responders can be dispatched
while the call taker gathers information from you. |
|
|
Would
more employees help? |
|
When 9-1-1 callers are
put on hold it is not due to a staffing shortage; it can be due to a
number of factors including many people calling in about the same
problem, people calling 9-1-1 for non-emergency purposes or people
calling 9-1-1 for inappropriate reasons. |
|
Please
use 9-1-1 for emergencies only.
For all other calls use the main police
department number:
822-2101
And
just a reminder, making false 9-1-1 calls is against the law and
anyone caught making the 9-1-1 call will be prosecuted (and it would
not be the first time someone was prosecuted for a false 9-1-1
call!!) Once you dial 9-1-1 your address and phone number is instantly
displayed and the police are dispatched.
In
case you are wondering, a false 9-1-1 call is a violation of New
Jersey Criminal Law, NJSA 2C:33-3.
|
