Anatomy of a 9-1-1 Call
- Brendhan T. Sears
- Apr 13
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 17
By: Brendhan T. Sears, RPL, CMCP
April is an exciting month for our industry! Not only is the second week of the month dedicated to honoring all those hardworking 9-1-1 dispatchers who answer the call, but the entire month is
9-1-1 Education Month! To that end, we'd like to take our potential callers behind the scenes. The more knowledgeable you are, the quicker we can get the assistance you need when seconds can literally mean the difference between life and death. Let's get right into it, shall we?
Location, Location, Location
Yes, 9-1-1 can typically find your location through the use of GPS mapping systems; however, despite the level of sophistication, your location is reflected within a radius. So what? So, it's never 100% accurate, and the more densely populated the area you're calling from, the harder it will inevitably be for first responders to find you. While these are state-of-the-art applications, there are a lot of moving parts involved and, while uncommon, they may glitch or crash. Always do your best to know your location, including:
Landmarks around you (a school, restaurant, gas station - something that sticks out to help us find you.)
Check the GPS mapping system on your phone to guide you. You can do this while on 9-1-1 without accidentally disconnecting the call.
Check your vehicle's GPS if it's available. Also, check for a compass that reflects your direction of travel.
Commit your home and work addresses to memory, and make it a priority to do so before you move or start a new job. This is especially important if you have a job where others rely on you for their safety and well-being!! Also, teach your kids about 9-1-1 as early as possible. I read an article where a 3-year-old knew to call 9-1-1 for their incapacitated parent, and they knew their home address - proving it's never too early to learn!
Where does my call go when I dial 9-1-1?
Okay, so this is a little more technical. If you're calling from your cell phone, the signal goes to the nearest available cell tower. The location of that tower determines where your call is routed to. So, if you are on the outskirts of town, there's a possibility your call may go to a different Public Safety Answering Point, or PSAP - a fancy term for a 9-1-1 Center. Additionally, if the closest tower is too busy handling other calls, your signal will bounce to the next available one, which may also affect where your call is routed to. For those of you who have called 9-1-1 before, this is likely why you may have been transferred to a different PSAP.
It's a little different for landline phone. Most landlines these days are VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) - which means the signal travels through the same fiber optic lines as your internet instead of traditional phone lines. The great thing about VoIP lines is their portability, meaning you aren't forced to change your number just because you moved somewhere with a different area code. The company that you sign up with is generally responsible for ensuring that your 9-1-1 calls are routed to the correct PSAP. ALWAYS ASK TO MAKE SURE!! Not only have I taken 9-1-1 calls from different states, but I've also taken them from different countries because people who use services like magicJack forgot to update their account to reflect their new location! Imagine my surprise when I answered a 9-1-1 call from the UK while I'm sitting at my console in a Chicago suburb! Which leads us to our next point...
Transferring calls
Our phone systems aren't equipped with transfer buttons to every PSAP in the world. It's just not possible. So if you're travelling with a third-party VoIP service like magicJack, use your cell phone if you have an emergency.
Working for a large county agency that borders another state, we have transfer buttons for every PSAP surrounding our jurisdiction, plus a few just beyond that. But that's it. If you have a distant loved one who relies on you for assistance (elderly family, disabled friend, etc.), you should absolutely keep their non-emergency police and rescue numbers saved in your phone.
You'd be surprised how often folks call on behalf of someone else - who is 100+ miles away. If you live in Chicago and your dad in New York calls YOU because he's having a heart attack, we're not going to be able to transfer you. At least not efficiently. Dad may live on the edge of town, so the next town over may send the ambulance if that station is closer - but there is no way for us to know that in advance.
The reality is that we Google* phone numbers for agencies that are well beyond our jurisdiction the same as you would. By the time we do all that and then call the number to make sure it's correct (because sometimes it's not!), it may be too late. Encourage your loved ones to dial 9-1-1 first. NOT YOU. Everybody thinks this is something that isn't going to happen to them - until it does. Take these simple preventative steps now to ensure the safety of your loved ones for the future. I really can't stress the importance of this enough, because people call in these situations way more often than you would think.
Also, add your own 24-hour non-emergency numbers to your phone as well. We have a limited number of 9-1-1 lines available to us at any given time, and a 9-1-1 call placed to report something that isn't a life or death emergency may prevent someone from getting through who is.
Why are you asking so many questions? Just get here!
Listen, we get it. We're human, and in an emergency situation, we want immediate help, too. So let me preface this by saying that the questions we are asking are not delaying a response. Help is being dispatched simultaneously, and the questions that we ask ensure that the other first responders are prepared and ready to provide you the help you need the moment they arrive on scene.
We also may ask you to repeat your address. This confirms that we understood you correctly. We may have a poor connection or there may be some background noise, so we want to make sure you said 123 NORTH Main St, as opposed to 123 SOUTH Main St. Also, it may seem that we are asking obvious questions, like if a person is awake and breathing - even if we may hear them in the background. Remember, we aren't there so that person we hear could very well be someone else. Not only that, but a policy may require those questions be asked so that we know what question(s) to ask next.
Through all of this, remember, our questions are not slowing down help and, depending on how you answer the questions, we may have to give you instructions to follow until help arrives - meaning you may have to help yourself or someone else in the meantime. Everything we ask and every instruction we give has a purpose, even if it doesn't make sense in the moment! We know it's easier said than done, but try your best to remain focused on the task at hand. Don't use valuable time to ask us why we are asking specific questions in the moment.
The "Pizza Myth."
By now, most of you have probably come across the pizza myth meme on social media. You know, the one that says if you need to call 9-1-1 but are scared because of someone in the room with you to dial 9-1-1 and ask for a pizza. Heard of it? Yeah, it's not true. Now, I will say that so many of us are aware of this meme at this point that we may catch on rather quickly, but it's not standard industry practice either. If you can't talk, try texting if it's available in your area. If not, we can ask you "yes" or "no" questions as to not alert those around you. We DO have some tricks up our sleeves, but again, the pizza myth is not the standard.
We hope you enjoyed getting some insight into what you may expect when you dial 9-1-1. I know it seems like a lot, but it also makes a lot of sense when you think about it. We're going to dive a little deeper on the behind-the-scenes of 9-1-1 in a future blog or two, but wanted to start with some of the most important aspects first. If there's something you'd like us to cover, shoot us a message and let us know! Finally, having this useful information can literally save someone's life - and that someone could be YOU - so please share this with your loved ones!
*Dispatchers: there is a very useful map put together by NENA that has phone numbers for PSAP's all over the country. While I am certain it is updated regularly, I would still confirm it's accurate prior to transfer, as they rely on the PSAP's themselves to provide accurate and updated information.
About the author: Brendhan T. Sears, RPL, CMCP, is the Founder and Owner of Humanizing the Headset, LLC, and has been dispatching in the Chicagoland area since 2007. He is active in his department as a trainer, a member of the Peer Support Team, is CIT certified, and serves as a union rep.
Enjoy this blog? Please share it and leave a comment below!
Do you have a story to tell and are Interested in being a guest blogger? Contact us here and let us know. We'd love to feature you!
Comments