What is
9-1-1?
How
do I know if there really is an Emergency?
When should I
NOT call 9-1-1
How do I use 9-1-1?
What Happens when
I Call 9-1-1?
What
if the situation is NOT an Emergency?
What is 9-1-1?
9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number system in Will County which
links callers to the
appropriate emergency service - Police, Fire or Ambulance. Calling
9-1-1 helps ensure you reach the
emergency service you require as quickly as possible.
How do I know if there really is an Emergency?
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A situation where the safety of people or property is at risk. Examples
of 9-1-1 emergencies include: a fire; crime in
progress; or a medical crisis, a vehicle accident with injuries.
When is it NOT okay to
call 9-1-1? Back
to top
Don't call 9-1-1
. . .if you need directions!
. . .if your cat is in a tree!
. . .if your stove or furnace stops working. (Do call if it's on fire.)
. . .if you have a small cut or bruise!
. . .if your toilet or sink is plugged
up or overflowing
. . .if you have a toothache
. . .if your electric power, telephone
or television cable goes out
. . .if you need to find a telephone
number
. . .if you want to know road or
weather conditions, or about community events,
.
. .if you need a free ride to the emergency room for some cold medicine
But
if you're not sure that your situation might be serious, call 9-1-1 and
let the dispatcher decide.
How do I use
9-1-1? Back
to top
at home dial 9-1-1 or pre-program your phone
for 911.
do not pre-program 9-1-1 into a portable telephone,
this can cause dialing problems if the battery is low on
cordless phones or the button is hit accidentally.
at a business or other locations you may need
to dial an outside line before dialing 9-1-1.
at a pay phone dial 9-1-1, a coin is not necessary.
when using a cellular phone you must specify
that you are using such and be prepared to give your
location, including the city or town.
to access T.T.Y. or T.D.D. (Telephone Device
for the Deaf), press the space bar until a response is
received.
What Happens when I Call 9-1-1?
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When you dial 9-1-1 your call is answered by professionally trained
personnel - Call takers. The 9-1-1
telephone system has an Automatic Location Identification System and
an Automatic Number Identification
System (ANI/ALI) which lets the call taker know the address and telephone
number of the caller. If the caller
is unable to speak, police will be dispatched to the location.
If you call from a cellular phone, some PBX or Centrex business phone
systems, ANI/ALI information will NOT be available to the Call taker. Try
to remain calm and give your exact location.
That
doesn't mean you won't get any help until you answer all the questions,
however. Sometimes, while one dispatcher talks to you by phone, another
dispatcher listens to the conversation. As soon as that second dispatcher
hears enough information to start help, he or she radios the information
to police or fire-rescue who start on their way to you. Meanwhile, the
dispatcher talking to you has to get more information for the emergency
crew. Don't be concerned--cooperate with the dispatcher. Let them guide
the conversation, and answer all the questions they ask you. Information
that doesn't seem important to you could be crucial to the crew coming
to help you. Never hang up until the dispatcher says it's okay.
Be
prepared to answer at least the following questions:
Which
emergency agency you need (police, fire or medical)
The
nature of the emergency
The
address or location where help is needed (including building and apartment
number), the full address including the name of the city or town
is important because similar street names occur in different areas in Will
County.
Your
name and the phone number you're calling from.
The
phone number you're calling from will usually be displayed on a
computer screen at the 9-1-1 center.
What
if the situation is NOT an Emergency, but I still need to report something
to the Fire or Police department?
In that case you can contact any one of these departments by their non-emergency
telephones. Check the numbers below to find the phone numbers you
are looking for.
Village of Mokena Police (708) 479-3912
Mokena Fire Protection District (708) 479-5371
Will County Sheriff (815) 727-8575
Teaching
Children to Call 9-1-1 Back to Top
Teach
your children how and when to dial 9-1-1. Explain to them that 9-1-1 is
their friend and can help them, so they need to do whatever the person
who answers the phone tells them to do.
Teach
your children their home address and telephone number.
Carefully
explain that 9-1-1 is for an emergency, and tell them what the word "emergency"
means. Give them some examples of when to call and when not to call.
Always
refer to the number as "nine-one-one," not "nine-eleven." There is no "eleven"
on the telephone dial, and calling it that can confuse young children.
When
you're teaching your child how to use 9-1-1, use a toy phone. Remind them
that 9-1-1 is not a toy or a game, so they can never "practice calling
9-1-1" on a real phone. They should never call 9-1-1 unless there is a
real problem. If they do, the dispatcher will know who is calling and they
can get in trouble.
Stay
calm--the dispatchers can't help you if they can't understand you. Take
a deep breath and think before you talk. Speak slowly and clearly. We understand
that can be difficult, but if you can remain as calm as possible and answer
questions clearly, things will go much faster.
Keep
your address and phone number posted near each phone so the information
is easily available. It's easy for a person to mix up or not remember these
numbers in an emergency. The information will also be useful for visitors
to your home who have to call for help, such as babysitters.
If
you can, send someone outside to meet the emergency unit and let them know
exactly where you are. It's hard to find an address on a dimly-lit street
in the middle of the night.
To
help emergency crews find you, make sure your house numbers are clearly
visible from the street both day and night. Paint the numbers a contrasting
color, and be sure trees or bushes don't hide them.
Remember
that 9-1-1 isn't used everywhere in the United States yet. When you go
on a trip, always ask when you arrive what the emergency number is in that
area. When out-of-town guests visit, always tell them that we use 9-1-1
in this area--if you're the one who's sick or hurt and your guest has to
call for help, you certainly want them to know how to do it quickly!
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