WHEN TO CALL 911 AND WHEN NOT TO CALL 911

911 is the phone number to dial to report a police, fire or medical emergency or any situation requiring the immediate presence of police officers, firefighters or emergency medical personnel. In a crisis, seconds count. They can mean the difference between life and death.

There is one easy to remember number to call for police, fire and medical emergencies:  911.

No coin is required if calling from a pay phone. But please remember, 911 is an emergency number ONLY.  

When you reach the emergency 911 phone dispatcher, you  will be asked to verify the location from which you are calling and describe the nature of the emergency. Stay calm. Do not hang up. Stay on the telephone until directed otherwise by the 911 dispatcher. If you hang up, you must redial.  

If you call from a cellular phone, your call will be routed to the appropriate agency. Cellular calls go to many "cell sites" and your call might not be answered near where you are located. You must describe to the dispatcher the location of the emergency you are reporting.

 WHEN TO CALL 911:  

• Someone breaking into your home now or breaking into a neighbor's home

• A shooting

• A fire

• A traffic accident involving injury

• A person screaming

• A person choking

• A fight or display of weapons

 An emergency is any situation that to preserve life or property requires immediate response by police, fire or emergency medical agencies. 

WHEN NOT TO CALL 911:

• Report telephone, power or cable television outages

• Report an abandoned vehicle, a loud party, a pet-related problem or vandalism

• Request legal advice

• Request directory assistance

• Request or provide any information that does NOT need immediate attention.

• CRPD's non-emergency phone number is 610.317.0808. 

 Please remember:  911 is an emergency number and should not be used for non-emergency purposes.