Did you know that you can text 911 during an emergency?
Of course, we would always prefer that you actually call 911 and speak by phone, but sometimes that is just not possible.

Here are some tips on how to use the Text to 911 feature:
1. If you can, include your location and what help is needed in your text message.
2. Be clear and don’t use abbreviations or slang.
3. Stay calm, respond to questions, and follow instructions from the 911 dispatcher.

Calling 911 can save valuable time in an emergency. Some people aren’t sure when to call 911. They call 911 for reasons other than emergencies. To complain about barking dogs, to ask directions, to report the power is out, to check on road conditions, doesn't constitute an emergency.

Remember, calling 911 is for real emergencies; situations when you need police, fire, or an ambulance in a hurry. When people don’t use 911 properly, or abuse the system making silent or abusive calls, they tie up the phone lines and make it hard for others who really need help right away to get through.

We receive several unintended 9-1-1 calls every day, from pocket dials to hang-ups. Please follow these simple tips to help prevent them:

• Use your cellphone’s key lock to help prevent accidental calls.
• Don’t program 9-1-1 into any telephone — speed dials cause accidental 9-1-1 calls.
• If you’ve recently called 9-1-1, please delete the call from your cellphone’s call history
• Please do not test 9-1-1 to see if it’s working.

If you dial 9-1-1 accidentally, stay on the line and tell us. If you hang up we don’t know if you are okay and will have to call back.