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Information about 911
Police - Fire - Medical
EMERGENCY
What is 9-1-1?
9-1-1 is the nationwide
police, fire, and ambulance emergency number. 9-1-1 should be used as an easily remembered and accessed number to report fires,
medical problems, and crimes in progress. 9-1-1 is also a free call from all phones, including cell phones and pay phones.
The dispatchers who answer at the Milford Emergency Operation's Center (EOC) are trained to provide medical and
life safety instructions.
What to expect when calling 9-1-1.
The most important thing to remember when dialing 9-1-1 is to remain calm.
We can assist you much faster and more effectively if you are calm, able to provide the required information, and able to
listen to instructions and follow them.
When you reach the Milford EOC with a 9-1-1 call you will be greeted
with the phrase, "Milford 9-1-1 what is the address of the emergency?" Please note that the first question asked is where.
This is to verify the location of the Emergency so that if we are disconnected and can not reach you back we can still send
help.
The next question you will hear is, "What is the phone number you are calling
from?" This is because we want to be able to reach you back if the line is disconnected.
The third question is, "What is the problem, tell me exactly what happened."
Please remain calm and tell the dispatcher exactly what the problem is.
If you have called because of a medical emergency:
The dispatcher will refer to their Emergency Medical Dispatch Protocols. You will be asked questions such as, "How old
is s/he?" and "Is s/he conscious?" Once we determine the most pressing medical problem we will be asking more specific questions
relating to that problem. Please try to answer the questions as best you can. At the end of the questions, we will dispatch
the appropriate units to assist you which can include the closest Fire Engine (which has Emergency Medical Technicians on
board), a Rescue Truck or Paramedic Fire Engine (which can provide more advanced medical care), and also an Ambulance for
transport to the hospital. The dispatcher will also tell you what to do before the units arrive and if necessary, the
dispatcher will remain on the phone line with you until help arrives giving you step-by-step directions on how to help the
patient (i.e.: CPR, Rescue Breathing, the Heimlich Maneuver for a choking victim, etc.)
If you have
called to report a fire: You will be asked such questions as, "What is on fire? Is the fire near any other
structures or vehicles? Is anyone trapped inside?" The more information you can provide to us, without endangering yourself
or others, the better we are able to send the appropriate resources to help.
If you are reporting a crime in
progress or other police related emergency: The dispatcher will stay on the line with you while you are transferred
to the Emergency line at the Milford Police Department where you will speak directly with a Police Dispatcher. Please
listen carefully to the instructions the police dispatchers provide and help answer their questions as quickly and
accurately as possible, you can make a difference!
Always remember, if it is safe to do so, stay on the line until told by the dispatcher that it is OK to
hang up now.
9-1-1 Do's and Don'ts
Please Do:
- Remain Calm - The quicker the dispatchers can find out what the problem is,
the quicker help can be started.
- Be Prepared to give your address including the nearest cross street to the
dispatcher. We have an enhanced 911 system that gives us the callers location, but we MUST
verify that this information is correct and that this is actually where the emergency is. If you are calling from a
cell phone you should be even more prepared to give a very accurate description of where you are as the dispatcher will not
have an address on their screen to verify with you.
- Be Patient - It may seem like nothing is being done, but actually alot is
being done behind the scenes. Another dispatcher may already be alerting units while your dispatcher is getting more
information or is giving you instructions on what to do. It may seem like it is taking forever for help to arrive, but
we must do our best to combine speed and safety.
- Follow the directions the dispatcher gives you very carefully.
- If it is safe to do so, stay on the line with the dispatcher until told it
is OK to hang up.
Please Don't:
- NEVER call 911 for non-emergency reasons, doing so ties up emergency lines
and personnel that may be needed to help others. You can find the non-emergency numbers for the City of Milford by checking
our Phone Numbers page or by looking in your local phonebook in the government section which is usually in the front of the book in blue
pages.
- NEVER call 911 for information. If you loose power, see police and
fire units, or are stuck in traffic please tune to local radio or TV for news, do not contact 911 for information - We
will not give out information over Emergency Lines.
- If you dial 911 by mistake - DO NOT HANG UP. Stay on the line and explain
to the dispatcher that you dialed 911 by mistake and that there is no emergency. If you hang up before we can determine
there is no emergency we will immediately call you back, if we can not get in touch with you, we will dispatch police officers
to your address. This is done for your safety to make sure that everything is OK.
- Don't assume that we know what the problem is, you are our eyes and ears
and the more information you can give us, the better we can help.
- NEVER play with 911 - only use 911 in Emergencies.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about
911. Our dispatchers are here to help you in an emergency situation.
To learn more about how 9-1-1 came to be, please visit our History of 9-1-1 page.
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