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5.1

Call 911 and give your location

Give your exact location as soon as you are asked, answer every question, and never hang up until the call-taker tells you to.

A man stands talking urgently on his phone while a woman lies unwell under a blanket on the sofa beside him
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels
Area: SafetyFrom age 6Time to learn: 15 minutes, plus practice saying your address aloudPractise in a class

You will make a 911 call that gets help to the right door quickly, from any phone, in the US or Canada.

SafetyIf you are not sure whether it is an emergency, call 911; the call-taker will help decide. Make sure your house number can be seen from the street so responders can find you.

Why it matters

911 is the emergency number across the US and Canada. Your phone may not tell the call-taker where you are: in Canada, only landlines give an exact address, while cellphones give only a general location and internet phones give none (E-Comm 9-1-1). Location is the first question the police, fire, or ambulance call-taker will ask.

How to do it

  1. Make sure you are safe. If there is fire, smoke, or danger, get out first, then call.
  2. Dial 9-1-1. Most phones let you call 911 even when they are locked.
  3. You may first be asked which service you need: police, fire, or ambulance.
  4. Give your exact location: building number, street, unit or apartment number, and city. If you do not know it, give cross streets, a landmark, a highway exit, or a business name.
  5. Say what happened in one sentence, for example: 'My dad collapsed and is not breathing.'
  6. Answer the call-taker's questions. They are passing details to responders while you talk.
  7. Stay on the line and follow their instructions, such as how to do CPR. Do not hang up until they say you can.
  8. If you can, send someone to the door or street to wave responders in, and turn on an outside light at night.
  9. If you dial 911 by mistake, stay on the line and say so. If you hang up, they may need to call back or send police to check on you.
  10. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired: in Canada, register in advance with your wireless provider for Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1). In many US areas you can text 911. Call if you can, because texting is not available everywhere.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming your phone tells them exactly where you are.
  • Hanging up early or calling back from a different phone.
  • Calling a friend or relative first and losing minutes.
  • Programming 911 into speed dial, which causes accidental calls.
You can do this when …you can say your full home address, including unit number and nearest cross street, in one breath, and the children in your home can do the same.
Reading is not training. Practise on a manikin or in a supervised class with the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, or in Canada with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, St John Ambulance or the Canadian Red Cross.

Sources

  1. E-Comm 9-1-1 (British Columbia) - 9-1-1 tips and info
  2. U.S. Fire Administration - Burn prevention, first aid and calling 911
  3. Text with 9-1-1 (Canada)

Sources and numbers last checked . How we check

Topic: CPR, the AED and choking

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