9-1-1 is the phone number you can call from any phone when you need help or you see someone who needs help right away.
Kid's Page - Central Dispatch 911
Tuscola County 9-1-1 wants to welcome you to our website. In an emergency, the best thing that you can do is tell your parents, a teacher, or another adult you trust right away. But if no one is around you may have to call someone else for help. Here is what you need to know about where to fnd help and how you can make sure it gets to you FAST.
Call 9-1-1 when someone or something is hurt or in danger and you need a police officer, firefighter or a doctor. You should call 9-1-1 when you are scared something bad is happening or when you find yourself alone or lost.
After you dial, the person who picks up on the other end will be someone who works at a 9-1-1 center and whose job it is to help you. They may ask you to do things to help or ask you questions. It is important that you follow their directions as best you can. They will send someone to wherever you are and stay on the phone with you until everyone is safe.
Even if you called 9-1-1 by accident, or if you think the problem has gone away, it is important that you stay on the phone until the 9-1-1 operator tells you it is alright to hang up. It is the 9-1-1 operator's job to make sure that you are OK and that help has gotten to whoever needs it. In situations where you aren't able to talk or have to leave, keep the phone off the hook so that the 9-1-1 operator can hear what is going on in the room. Most times, they will be able to use the computers at the 9-1-1 center to fnd your address.
Being able to tell the 9-1-1 operator things like your address, your parents' names, and your phone number will get help to you faster.
If you aren't at home and don't know the address where you are look around and try to fnd a street sign or a building with a name on it so that the 9-1-1 operator knows your exact location.
When you call 9-1-1, try to stay calm and tell the 9-1-1 operator everything that is happening and answer all the questions.
If you call 9-1-1 to practice make sure you do this with an adult and tell the 9-1-1 operator that are practicing calling 9-1-1 and DO NOT have an emergency.
Sometimes kids like to call 9-1-1 as a prank. Remember that if a 9-1-1 operator is busy handling a prank phone call, they are not able to answer other emergency calls to assist someone that is hurt or someone whos house is burning down. It is very important that you do not call 9-1-1 unless you have an emergency. For many prank calls, the 9-1-1 operator will ask to speak with your parent and if they are unable to, will send an officer or deputy to make contact with you and your parents.
Yet. We know that you do most of your communicating by text message and instant message, but you can NOT text or instant message 9-1-1 to reach emergency services. 9-1-1 and telecommunications professionals are busy in the lab trying to make that possible but for now you will have to make an old fashioned phone call if you want to talk to 9-1-1.
Listed below are just a few tips to help you teach your children about 911. We receive calls every day from children, some are actual emergencies and some are just children playing with the phone. It is very important to teach your children at a young age that 911 is there to help them in case of an emergency and to never be afraid to ask for help.
- Write your home address, the names of everyone living in the home, as well as phone numbers down on a piece of paper and put it next to the phone or in an area that your child can find it. Make sure you sit down and tell your child what the information on the paper is and where it will be in case of an emergency.
- It is important to advise your children that there are times to call 911 and times not to call 911. Go over different emergency situations such as a parent that won’t wake up, they see a fire or smoke, someone is hurt and not responding or bleeding or if they feel really scared and unsafe and no adult is there with them.
- Emergency dispatchers’ receive many prank calls from children and it is vital that you sit down and discuss the importance of not dialing 911 unless there is an emergency and they can end up in a lot of trouble for prank calling 911.
- You may find it helpful to take the time and act out a few different emergency situations with your children. Act out a scenario in which a fire has started, practice family fire drills which include safe escape routes from the home, when to use them, how to call 911 and a meeting place outside the home where family members will find each other. Emphasize that no one should ever go back inside a burning building for any reason. Act out a scenario where someone is hurt and needs an ambulance and act out a scenario where there is a stranger trying to get into the home. Show them pictures of police officers, fire fighters and paramedics in uniform so they will recognize them if they ever need help.
- If you give your children old cell phones to play with please take the batteries out of them because even though they are no longer active, they are still able to call out to 911.