Richmond, Va –
An emergency call to 9-1-1 can save your life or the life of someone you know or love. According to the National Emergency Number Association, an estimated 240 million calls are made to 9-1-1 in the U.S. each year. In many areas, 80% or more are made from wireless devices, 90% are to the police, the other 10% to Fire/ Emergency Medical Service.
Defense Logistics Agency Richmond Fire and Emergency Services Division will kick off its 2019 Emergency 9-1-1 campaign May 20 and it will run through May 24. This year’s theme is “What Everyone Should Know About 9-1-1.” It’s an effort to educate the Defense Supply Center Richmond community about the Enhanced 9-1-1 system, which routes an emergency call to the appropriate 911 answering point for the caller's location and automatically displays the caller's phone number and address.
During this week of awareness, members of the DLA Fire and EMS will be conducting walk-throughs of all DSCR facilities.
On May 21, the DLA Fire and Emergency Services Division will host a display at the Center Restaurant to answer any questions you may have and to provide you with educational material and positive promotions. All are welcomed to stop by and support the Emergency 9-1-1 Campaign, and walk away feeling confident and ready to dial 911 in the event of an emergency.
Here on DSCR, there are a few things you need to know. When dialing 911 from your office phone or any landline on the installation, the call will go to the DSCR Emergency Communications Center. In the event that you use a cellphone, the call will be routed to the Chesterfield Emergency Communications Center, in which you will have to respond by saying that you are on DSCR, and giving your location on the installation. The call will then be routed to the DSCR Emergency Communications Center.
The Enhanced 9-1-1 System on DSCR has the capability of supporting calls from wireless devices. Since wireless users are often mobile, some sort of enhancement is needed to 911 service that allows the location of the user to be known to the call receiver.
A lot of people ask, when should you call 911? You call anytime you find a situation dangerous and you don’t know who to call; you smell smoke, see a fire, witness or are the victim of a crime, someone is experiencing a serious illness, or anything that you consider an emergency. Some callers feel they shouldn’t have called 911, but it’s always better to get help early, instead of waiting until things escalate.
When people make a 911 call, they may be in distress, nervous, or just frightful. The DSCR Emergency Communications Center employees and others across the United States, are trained to handle these intense moments, but they still need a few things from you to get you the help you need. Here are tips for a 911 call:
- Remain calm - they can’t help you if they can’t understand you.
- State the reason for your call - this helps get you the help you need (Fire/Police/EMS)
- Know your location- this helps the responders find you faster. Give landmarks if you don’t know.
- Answer the emergency dispatcher’s questions- they are trained to ask the right questions to assist you.
- Stay on the line- until the dispatcher has all the information they need. If it is unsafe for you to remain on the line, let the dispatcher know.