When you dial 9-1-1 Any phone at all has the capability to dial into 9-1-1. When you dial into 9-1-1: The signal goes to the phone companies database. There it finds out the information that you supply the phone company when you start service. Then your signal, along with the information is sent to us in the form of Automatic Name and Location information (ANI/ALI). Currently cellular phones are not able to tell us where you are. We will always verify where you are calling from! On rare occasions the information that is supplied to us electronically may be incorrect. Calls Are Answered The telecommunicator answering your 911 call determines the type of service needed using a proven and efficient interview process. They provide initial help if necessary and then immediately contact the appropriate emergency agency to dispatch assistance. The telecommunicator is the first link in the medical Survival Chain, providing Pre-Arrival and Post-Dispatch instructions to callers with a medical emergency. Critical procedures such as CPR, airway management and childbirth, just to name a few, can be started before more advanced help arrives. A telecommunicator is a Public Safety employee who asks questions to determine the who, what, where, how and why (as well as the what should/can/might be done) in a multitude of circumstances, in which the caller often mistakenly assumes that the answers are obvious. The telecommunicator knows that action taken based on incomplete or inaccurate information can endanger callers, victims and the responders. That is why he or she must make sure answers to questions are clear, complete and precise. If an answer is "far", the telecommunicator must ask: "how far?". If an altercation is at the "door", the telecommunicator must ask: "Which door?" and "How many doors are there?". You can help by being as precise and exact as possible when providing information during a 911 call. Once the telecommunicator has analyzed the situation, the call is immediately routed by computer to a dispatcher for the appropriate emergency response (Police, Fire or EMS) to provide the service(s) needed. If you have any questions about how your 9-1-1 center works just give them a call, they will be glad to talk to you.