MERRIMAC — The Merrimac Police Department and the Merrimac Fire Department would like to share guidelines and recommendations to best access help in the midst of an emergency during National 911 Education Month.
According to the National Emergency Number Association, around 240 million 911 calls are made annually. National 911 Education Month is recognized across the country to conduct outreach and inform community members on emergency protocols and resources.
In order to make sure residents are able to receive help in an emergency, Merrimac Police and Fire are providing the following safety tips from the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA) and the Federal Communications Commission:
Text-to-911
Text-to-911 is the ability to send a text message to reach 911 emergency call takers from your mobile phone or device. However, because voice calls to 911 provide more information to 911 call centers, you should always make a voice call to 911 during an emergency whenever possible.
Text-to-911 is only currently available in certain locations. The FCC encourages emergency call centers to begin accepting texts, but it is up to each call center to decide the particular method in which to implement and deploy text-to-911 technology.
For more information on Text-to-911, click here.
Know Your Location
With wireless calls, 911 operators can locate callers, but more information may be needed in order for emergency services to find exact locations. Be prepared to provide detailed information on your location to assist the 911 operator.
Stay Calm and Don’t Hang Up
Unless instructed to do otherwise, you should stay on the line when calling 9-1-1 in order to provide necessary information to the operator. Even if you accidentally dial 9-1-1, you should stay on the line and inform the operator that there is no emergency and that you did not mean to call. While on the phone, please answer the telecommunicator’s questions. They are trying to determine whether or not there is an emergency or if someone is in need of assistance.
In order to learn more about NASNA and its efforts to improve emergency response through supporting 911 education and awareness, click here.
About National 911 Education Month
April is designated as National 911 Education Month, recognized by the United States Congress in 2008. According to NASNA, it aims to support the efforts of the National 911 Education Coalition through the promotion of resources and materials that help to educate about the optimal use of 911 services across the country.
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