Frequently Asked Questions - Dare Central 911

1. What should I do if I see a crime occurring?

Call 911 immediately.

What is the address the crime is occurring? Be observant and make mental notes. Pay special attention if any weapons are involved. Note physical characteristics such as height, weight, and race.
Does the suspect have any distinguishing characters such as a beard, scars, marks, or tattoos? What type and color clothing is he or she wearing? How many people are involved? Are they on foot or in a vehicle?
What is the vehicle's description providing a possible make of the vehicle, model, style, color, license plate number? And your contact information as a possible witness to a crime.

2. Do I have to give my name when I call 911?

3. Why am I asked so many questions when I call for an ambulance?

Our organization utilizes the Emergency Medical Dispatching program (EMD). This program requires our Telecommunicator to ask a series of medical questions in order to determine the severity of the medical condition and response. Based on your answers, the proper level of care and response code is determined.

Most importantly, this program allows for any pre-arrival to be provided to the caller who made need medical instructions such as CPR or other critical pre arrival instructions. As mention we are the true first responders for the caller and are able to provide pre arrival care until the emergency service arrives.

4. When I dial 911, does the Telecommunicator know where I am calling from?

5. How can hearing or speech impaired persons be assisted?

6. What happens when someone who cannot speak English calls 911?

7. What Questions Will I be Asked When I Dial 911?

When you call 911, our Telecommunicators will need to know the answers to several questions:

What is the address of the Emergency?
What is the telephone number you are calling from?
Who the caller is calling in the information?
What is happening that prompted you to place the call to 911?
1. needing law enforcement (a crime)
2. needing the fire department (a fire related call)
3. needing an ambulance (a health emergency)
Where? Where is the event happening (an exact address is best, if known)? If you're on the beach, can you provide the closest mile marker? If you don't know exactly where you are, can you provide the name of an intersection or a landmark?
When? When did the event begin, or when did you first notice it?
Weapons? Can you provide any information if weapons are involved? Let the telecommunicator know if you have seen any weapons or believe that weapons may be present. This will assist alerting responders who are sent to help.

8. What Should I Expect When I Dial 911?

A 911 Telecommunicator will answer your call and identify the agency you have reached. We will ask you several questions that will assist our division in dispatching the appropriate agency or agencies to respond to the location you have provided.

When dialing 911, we will ALWAYS ask you the address of your emergency. Despite what you may have heard we cannot immediately pinpoint your location based on GPS coordinates of your device. In some cases this information may not automatically be provided especially in the case of cell phone usage. We will confirm the telephone number you are calling from as well to make ensure we can contact you should the phone be disconnected.

Several questions will be asked in order to dispatch the appropriate emergency to assist you. In some cases we may have you stay on the line until help arrives. For medical emergencies we have installed the National Academy Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) program which will allow our organization to provide you with pre-arrival instructions such as CPR, how to control bleeding or even assisting someone deliver a baby.

9. What is 911 Emergency Services?