Using 9-1-1

Dickinson County dispatchers take several 911 calls everyday. While most calls are legitimate emergencies, some are not. A question to ask yourself prior to calling 911 is: Is there a life on the line? If someone's life is in danger, call 911 immediately. If there is not a life-threatening emergency, call our non-emergency number at 712-336-2525.

Examples:

My husband is having chest pains.
Chest pain is a sign of a heart attack. A life is on the line, call 911!

My drivers license needs to be renewed and I don't know when the drivers license station is open.
Look up the DOT drivers' license station in your phone book or call the County Treasurer's office.

I just returned home and someone has broke into my home.
You can't be sure if the burglar is still there or not. Leave immediately and call 911 from a cell phone or a neighbor's house.

I just witnessed a car accident but I'm not sure if someone's hurt or not.
Always err on the side of caution. Call 911 to report the accident.

A car is improperly parked on the street or is blocking my driveway.
This is not a life-threatening emergency. Call 336-2525 to report this.

It's snowing outside and I have to travel. What are the roads like?
Call 5-1-1 to get road conditions or go to www.511ia.org

I can hear people shouting and fighting next door.
Call 911. Verbal fights can quickly escalate to physical fights and someone could get seriously hurt.

My power or cable TV just went out. What now?
Call your power or cable TV company. Most companies require an account number to process your outage information. Only you can provide your account information. Also, they may be able to give you an approximate time for restoration. Our dispatchers cannot do that.

Remember, leave 911 for true emergencies.

What to expect when you dial 911

When you dial 911, the dispatcher who answers your call will need to gather information such as what the nature of the call is (medical, traffic accident, etc.), the location, your name and a phone number where you can be reached. The most important thing you can do when you call 911 is to REMAIN CALM! While the situation may be very stressful, do everything you can to stay calm. This will allow the dispatcher to gather the information faster and thus get emergency personnel to you more quickly.

Do not hang up until the dispatcher says it is ok to do so. Depending on the situation, the dispatcher may want you to remain on the line until emergency personnel arrive.

Accidentally dialing 911

Everyday the Communications Center receives 911 calls from people who did not intend to dial 911. We understand that accidents happen but we ask that if you do accidentally dial 911, that you do not hang up. Once you dial 911, the phone company sends your phone number to our computer. We receive that data even if you try to hang up and it is our policy to call back if we get a 911 call like this.