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1. While trying to make a long distance call from my office, I got 911 by mistake. Why?

The office telephone equipment probably requires dialing 9 to get an outside line. When you hit 9 to get the outside line and then 1 for long distance, two things could have occurred; either the 1 key was held down too long or accidentally hit twice.

Important Information

If you work in a building that requires 9 to get an outside line, you may need to dial 9 and then 9-1-1 in an emergency and you need to know what the physical address is of your location.Often businesses have a main switchboard, or are spread among different buildings on the same telephone system and only one address is associated with the business phone number. If you work in this environment, make sure to ask your employer and know:

• What do I need to dial to get 911 in an emergency?
• What is the physical address of the building I work in?

Many business phone systems display only the main business mailing address and not the actual location of the telephone being used to call 911. The 911 call taker will ask you to identify or verify your location.

2. What should I do if I call 911 accidentally?

This can happen to anyone, and does. If you dial 911 accidentally, stay on the line until the 911 call taker answers and explain that you misdialed and/or didn't mean to call 911. This saves the 911 call taker some very valuable time. If you call 911 by mistake and hang up, your call still goes through, but now the 911 center has to call you back to find out if an emergency really exists. A law enforcement officer may be sent to investigate and verify that everything is all right.

3. Who pays for 911?

The 911 system is paid for by a small fee on your monthly telephone bill as well as local city and county tax dollars.

4. If I dial 911 from my cell phone, will the call taker know where I am?

In most cases, yes. Local customers of Verizon and AT&T can generally be located to within about 100 feet when dialing 911 from their cell phone. Because of the mobile nature of cell phones, our 911 Dispatchers will always ask you to verify your location.

5. What if I don't know where I am calling from or can't speak, will the 911 call taker know where I am?

Local phone companies like Qwest, Midcontinent and Knology associate physical / billing addresses with hard wired phone numbers and these are updated regularly in the 911 system. When dialing 911 from your home or business phone (not a cell phone) the address is usually available electronically to the 911 call taker. Some internet phone services, like Vonage or Magic Jack, require the customer to enter a physical address to associate with the phone number and it must be updated if you move.

Wireless Service

Local wireless companies like Verizon and AT&T provide Lawrence County 911 with the ability to locate their customer's cell phones when they dial 911. The information displayed includes your cell phone number and the latitude and longitude of the phone.

6. If I need to report a crime but it is not an emergency, should I still call 911?

No. You can use any of the non-emergency lines for your local law enforcement agency. Some of those numbers include:

• Deadwood Police Department Phone: 605-578-2623
• Highway Patrol Phone: 605-393-8121
• Lead Police Department Phone: 605-584-1615
• Meade County Sheriffs Office Phone: 605-347-2681
• Pennington County Sheriffs Office Phone: 605-394-2151
• Rapid City Police Department Phone: 605-394-4131
• Spearfish Police Department Phone: 605-642-1300
• Whitewood Police Department Phone: 605-269-2550

7. Will I get an immediate response from the public safety agency if I call 911?

All law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical services will respond to your need as quickly as possible. If these agencies are busy, a response will be provided in the order of urgency.

8. The 911 call taker asked for my address on a call. I thought they got the location information automatically. Doesn't that waste time to ask for it again?

The 911 call takers are trained to verify all of the information received automatically. Sometimes there are errors in the databases. The 911 call taker wants to be sure that the help you need is sent to the right place. They also need to get enough information to send you the right kind of help.

Stay on the Line

The 911 call takers are trained to help you provide the information needed, so stay on the line and answer all of their questions to the best of your ability. Sometimes, they may want you to stay on the line until law enforcement, fire or medical personnel actually arrive. They will tell you when it is okay to hang up.

9. I have a relative who is deaf and uses a special kind of phone, will it work with 911?

Your relative is probably using a text telephone called a TDD or TTY. The 911 center is equipped with that type of equipment. The 911 call takers receive special training on how to communicate with the hearing impaired community.