What to Know When Calling 911 from Your Cellphone
You hope you never have to call 911 however when you need to you want to be prepared. Calling 911 from a cellphone presents a unique situation that is very different than calling 911 from a landline. Because your cellphone is never in a perment fixed location the 911 center has to accurately determine where you are which is difficult and sometimes impossible especially if you cannot talk to the dispatcher. Here's what you need to know.
When you call 911, your cellphone signal travels to the closest cell tower.That cell tower then transfers your call to the closest 911 call center. Why do you care? Well, Bloom Township can present a unique situation. Bloom Township borders 3 different counties. Each county has it's own 911 call center. So if your cellphone signal connects to a cell tower in Pickaway County you will be talking to a Pickaway County 911 center. That 911 center then has to transfer you to the Fairfield County 911 center. This eats up precious seconds. This becomes VERY important when the same road travels between counties. For example; Lithopolis Rd is in both Fairfield County and Franklin County. If you live on Lithopolis Rd in Fairfield county and don't tell the dispatcher that you live in Fairfield county and your cell phone call went to Franklin County 911 the dispatcher may send us to that same address in Franklin county, delaying your help by minutes.
Here's some tips when calling 911:
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Stay calm. It's important to take a deep breath and not get excited. Any situation that requires 911 is, by definition, an emergency. The dispatcher knows that and will try to move things along quickly, but under control.
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Tell the emergency operator the location of the emergency RIGHT AWAY including the County you live in.
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Keep your eyes open. You may be asked to describe victims, suspects, vehicles, or other parts of the scene.
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Follow all directions. In some cases, the call-taker will give you directions. Listen carefully, follow each step exactly, and ask for clarification if you don't understand.
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Do not hang up the call until directed to do so by the call-taker.
For more detailed information on how calling 911 from your cell phone works, click on the buttons below:
