911 Etiquette

* Call 911 only for a life-threatening emergency.

* State in the briefest, most general terms what’s wrong:”My house is on fire,” or “Someone’s breaking into my home right now.” Don’t try to give details.

* Put yourself in the hands of the dispatcher. Let the dispatcher ask questions, and then answer them as briefly as possible. The dispatcher is trying to determine how pressing the emergency is and what steps to take.

* Stay on the phone until the dispatcher tells you it’s all right to hang up.

* If you call 911 by mistake, stay on the line and tell the dispatcher there is no emergency. Unless you do, police must call back or come to the address to verify there is no emergency.

* Be careful how you program your fax machine. A mistake can start a fax machine automatically and repeatedly calling 911.