by Ray Mickol

Created on: December 07, 2007

In order to make an informative call to 911 the most important thing to keep in mind is to collect yourself before making the call. The 911 operator is a trained professional. They will put you through a series of questions starting with " what's your emergency?" Be prepared to answer as briefly as possible. " There is a house on fire." "My child is choking." Whatever the case may be, state the emergency and be prepared for the next question.

You will then be asked for a location. Cross streets are good but a specific address is best. Do not assume the operator has this information already. Also don't panic. If this is a true life threatening emergency the operator has started help your way at this point. They will have more questions for you.
The operator will ask you a series of questions that will be situation specific. In the case of an auto accident it might be how many vehicles, is there entrapment, was there a rollover. In a medical emergency, if trained as an Emergency Medical dispatcher, they will walk you through first aid steps you can take until help arrives. They will stay on the line with you until the help gets there.
The most important things to remember when making a 911 call is to be as calm as possible and be prepared to answer the operators questions. Cooperate with these professionals. They are your first link in the emergency response chain.

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