Frequently Asked Questions

911 should only be used for emergencies. An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police/sheriff, the fire department or emergency medical services. If you are in doubt about whether a situation is an emergency, call 911. The emergency telecommunicator will determine if you need emergency assistance. Some examples of emergencies include:

Serious or potentially serious medical problems including:

Childbirth

Seizures

Falls from any height where there is an obvious injury or the victim is unconscious

Accidents with injuries

Fires, chemical spills, or smoke seen or smelled within a building, home or other structure

Crimes against a person either in progress or that have recently occurred

Situations where any kind of domestic violence or assault has taken place

Shootings

Volatile or unknown substances leaking from vehicles, storage tanks, etc

Road hazards including drunk, careless or aggressive drivers

Dangerous situations including when someone is trapped or hurt in any kind of farming, industrial, or home-related accident

Situations where you are in fear for your safety or the safety of others

Other life-threatening situations

There are also times when it may not be appropriate to call 911. Some examples include:

To test your phone or the 911 system

To ask for phone number information or phone repairs

To inquire about power outages or school, road or other closings

To find out if someone has been arrested or is in jail

As a prank or joke

For sick or injured pets

For the location of election or polling sites

To complain about the service or prices in a restaurant or other business

For directions to a location

For tours of the 911 center or other public safety agencies

The non-emergency number for police, fire or EMS dispatch is 636-456-7088.

Enhanced 911, commonly written E911, is a system that routes any emergency calls to the appropriate 911 answering point, or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), for the caller's location. E911 automatically displays the caller's phone number and address to the emergency telecommunicator receiving the call. The telecommunicator will typically ask the caller to verify the information appearing on his or her computer screen. In most areas, phone number and location information is available for 911 calls made from cellular or wireless phones.

Emergency telecommunicators use special text telephones called TTY/TDDs for responding to 911 calls from deaf or hearing/speech impaired callers. Deaf or hearing/speech impaired callers using a TTY/TDD should:

Stay calm, place the phone receiver in the TTY and dial 911. After the call is answered, press the TTY keys several times. This may help shorten the time necessary to respond to the call. Give the emergency telecommunicator time to connect their TTY. If necessary, press the TTY keys again. The emergency telecommunicator should answer and type "GA" for "go ahead." Tell whether police, fire or medical assistance is needed. Give your name, phone number and the address of where help is needed. If it is safe, stay on the phone and answer the telecommunicator's questions. Deaf or hearing/speech impaired callers without a TTY/TDD device should: Use a telephone relay service, if possible. Call 911 and don't hang up so the line remains open.

When necessary, emergency telecommunicators can add an interpreter from an outside service to the line. A non-English speaking caller may hear a short conversation in English and some clicking sounds as an interpreter is added to the call.

Yes, emergency telecommunicators can connect you with the Poison Control Center and send emergency medical assistance if necessary.

If you call 911 by mistake do not hang up. Tell the emergency telecommunicator what happened so he or she knows there isn't an emergency. If you hang up and the telecommunicator is unable to reach you then emergency services may be dispatched.

Verification of information is critical to ensure the right resources are sent to the correct location. We understand that asking specific, often scripted questions may seem to take a long time but typically emergency units have already been dispatched. The emergency telecommunicator may continue to ask questions in order to obtain additional details about the victim, patient or suspect. This additional information may change the response, provide a situational assessment, or provide safety updates for responders. Depending on the call type, pre-arrival instructions may be given to the caller to help the caller or others before emergency responders get to the scene.

Starting October 16th 2023 Text-to-911 is available in Warren County

How it works:

· Enter the numbers 911 into the "to" field.

· In the first message, text the location and type of emergency.

· Text in plain English, without abbreviations or slang.

· Respond to questions from the 911 dispatcher.

· Follow instructions the same as a voice call.

If you accidentally send a text to 911, send a reply indicating that you have made a mistake. Text-to-911 is for use in an emergency only. Promptly answer questions so 911 dispatchers can determine that there is no emergency and you are not in danger.

If you do not receive a text response from 911, contact 911 another way. As with all text messages, texts to 911 may take longer to receive, may get out of order, or may not be received at all. You must have a mobile phone and wireless carrier that allows you to send and receive text messages for text-to-911 to work.

What happens if I try to text 911 in an area where texting 911 isn't available?

· You will receive an automated reply stating that Text-to-911 is not available in the area, and you will need to reach 911 another way.

Can I send photos or videos via text to the dispatchers?

· Photos and videos cannot be sent to 911 centers at this time through the text to 911 program. However, WCES does support Prepared Live and the dispatcher is able to send you a link to access your phone’s camera for a livestream.

No. While this is planned for future 911 systems, the reality is that 911 centers nationally cannot receive pictures or videos over the current 911 line infrastructure. Next generation 911 systems will have this capability.

We cannot officially support a specific technology (wireline, wireless, VoIP, etc). Many people are only using cell phones today and, depending on your needs, you may or may not want to consider this option. One thing to keep in mind is the quality of cell coverage in your home. Does your cell phone work in every room? Do you have enough cell phones so that if you're not home and there is an emergency a phone is available to call 911? 911 is equipped to locate newer cell phones but older analog phones can be difficult to track. Cell phone location accuracy is constantly improving, but your location may only be reported as inside a 50- or 100-meter radius. As such, if you are in an apartment or multi-story building then 911 may not know your exact location. In this case you might consider leveraging the free-to-use Smart911 service to help responders reach you quickly.

For the most part, 911 works with Internet phone providers (commonly referred to as VoIP). However, if you are a VoIP customer we advise you check with your service provider. More information can be found on our VoIP& 911 page.

Warren County Emergency Communications is committed to providing the highest level of care possible and this means getting emergency personnel to you quickly. Every second counts during a medical emergency. Firefighters are trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or First Responders and may arrive before an ambulance. The firefighters can immediately initiate appropriate medical care to help the patient or patients until an ambulance arrives on scene.

Please remove the phone's battery before allowing your children to play with a deactivated cell phone. Deactivated cell phones can still call 911. In fact, 911 is the only number a deactivated cell phone can dial. Removing the battery from these phones is the only way to ensure the phone cannot dial 911.

Prank calls not only waste time and money but can also be dangerous. If 911 lines or emergency telecommunicators are busy with prank calls then someone with an emergency may not be able to get the assistance he or she needs. In most places it's against the law to make prank 911 calls.

Absolutely! We welcome you to visit the 911 center. Please call (636) 456-7088 to schedule an appointment.

We are always accepting applications which are kept in file for 6 months. We post current jobs on our Facebook Page "Warren County Emergency Communications Center" and Indeed.com. To get a copy of our job application, CLICK HERE