Calling 9-1-1

In an emergency, dial 9-1-1 from your phone immediately.

An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance.

How to report an emergency

Where, What, Who, When, and Why?

When calling 9-1-1 for assistance, the dispatcher will ask you the "five W's".

Where?	Where are you? Where is the scene? The location of the emergency, including the street address.
What?	What happened? The nature of the emergency.
Who?	Who’s involved? Is anyone hurt? Name(s) and/or physical description(s) of people involved.
When?	When did it happen? Is it going on right now? Time.
Why?	Follow-up questions

People	Weapon	Where did they go?
How many people are involved? Who is involved? What do they look like? What are they wearing? What are they carrying?	Any object can be a weapon if it is used in a threatening manner or causes death or serious bodily injury. Name the specific weapon? Who has the weapon? Where is the weapon?	Point of reference. Directional guide.

9-1-1 tips

Do stay on the line. Your call will be answered as soon as possible.

Do you have critical information available? Write it down if necessary.

Do let the dispatcher ask the questions. The dispatcher will determine how to best help you.

Do stay on the line as long as needed. The dispatcher may need to update information.