1)  What is 911?

2)  What is Enhanced 911?

3)  The History of 911

4)  How do you make a 911 call?

5)  What about 911 prank calls?

Nine-one-one (911) is the number to call for emergencies (police/medical/fire). A 911 call goes over dedicated phone lines to the 911 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the area the caller is calling from, and trained personnel then send the emergency help needed. 911 calls in Ocean View are received by the Sussex County Communications Center (SUSCOM) in Georgetown. State Police Dispatchers man the phones, and direct Ocean View Police to emergencies via police radios.

Enhanced 911, or E-911, is a system which routes an emergency call to the 911 center closest to the caller, and automatically displays the caller's phone number and address. The 911 dispatcher will ask the caller to verify the information, which appears on his or her computer screen. Currently, phone number and location information is not yet available for 911 calls made from a cellular/wireless phone.

The very first 911 service in the nation was implemented in Haleyville, Alabama in February of 1968.

In an emergency, dial 911 on your phone. It's a free call. You can use any kind of phone: push button, rotary, cellular/wireless, cordless, or pay phone. (With many cellular/wireless phones, Enhanced 911 does not yet work.) Stay calm and state your emergency Speak loudly and clearly. Give the 911 dispatcher your name, phone number and the address where help is needed. Answer the dispatcher's questions. Stay on the telephone as long as it's safe to do so, and don't hang up until the dispatcher tells you to.

It's a prank call when someone calls 911 for a joke, or calls 911 and hangs up when no emergency exists. Prank calls not only waste time and money, but can also be dangerous. If 911 lines or dispatchers are busy with prank calls, someone with a real emergency may not be able to get the help they need. Additionally, criminal charges may be filed against persons calling 911 when no emergency exists.