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COMMUNICATIONS
Washington County Sheriff's Office 911 Emergency Operations Communications Department is a state of the art telecommunications facility which houses our emergency management operations.
The Emergency Communications Center, also known as the 911 center, answers 911 and non-emergency calls for Washington County around-the-clock. Emergency communications personnel dispatch deputies, police, fire, and emergency medical services for the entire county.
The center is equipped with the latest technology in order to maintain the county's commitment to quality service. The main components include Enhanced 911 and Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD).
Enhanced 911 (E-911) provides Communications Department personnel with immediate address information on a 911 caller. This information is critical in providing immediate emergency services to citizens in need.
The system allows the emergency communications officer to record that information immediately in case the caller hangs up before the necessary information has been gathered. If that happens, the emergency communications officer can call the person back. If there is no answer, a police officer is sent to the address to investigate. If you call 911 in error, please do not hang up. Stay on the line and explain your situation.
It is important that citizens use 911 for immediate public safety assistance. Non-emergency requests are handled by calling 638-6111.
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)
This device, accessed through 911, allows callers with hearing disabilities to seek emergency assistance without delay. Callers can access the Center by typing a request which emergency communications officers receive and respond to by typing replies.
When should you call 911?
Calls to 911 should be reserved for
emergencies such as:
A serious medical emergency (chest pains, seizures, bleeding, etc.)
Any type of fire (structure, vehicle, brush, etc.)
Any crime in-progress (robbery, burglary, prowler, fights, etc.)
Any other life threatening situations (traffic accident with injuries, etc.).
When you call 911, the emergency
communications officer is automatically provided with the phone number and the
location that you are calling from. You will be asked to verify this information
since quite often individuals call 911 from locations other than where the
incident is occurring. If you call 911 from a cell phone, this vital information
is not provided. It is very important that you provide the phone number and
location to the emergency communications officers when using a cell phone.
The Problem
The emergency communications officer will ask if your emergency is related to
Law Enforcement, Fire or Rescue. At this point you should give a quick
description of what occurred. Then you will be asked a series of questions which
are extremely important to the proper handling of the call. These may include:
Is anyone injured?
How long ago did the incident occur?
Were there weapons involved and if so, what type?
Did the suspect flee, and if so, which direction?
What was the mode of transportation, a car, bike or on foot?
If a vehicle was involved, what was the description and what was the direction
of travel?
What was the physical description of the suspect?
What was the clothing description?
Although these may seem like an unreasonable number of questions during an
emergency, they are very important to emergency personnel. For example, if a
burglary has just occurred and the suspect flees, the officers have a much
better chance of apprehending the suspect if they have a good description of the
suspect and the direction that was taken. More important, if the incident in
question involved a weapon, the life of the Officer may depend on the
information given.
One common misconception of Public Safety Communications is that emergency
communications officers wait until finishing the call before sending help.
During a true emergency, the emergency communications officers work as a team.
One remains on the line with the caller and passes on information to another
emergency communications officer, who dispatches Sheriff Deputies, Police
Officers, Firefighters or other emergency personnel.
It is very important that you stay
on the line during a call to 911. The emergency communications officer will
continue to ask you questions while the police are en route.
What should I do if I call 911 by mistake?
If you call 911 by mistake, DO NOT HANG UP. Stay on the line and explain that
you do not actually have an emergency. If a caller to 911 hangs up without
stating the problem, the caller must be contacted in order to ensure that no
actual emergency exists. This may involve the dispatching of an officer to your
home or place of business in order to ensure that a problem does not exist.
If I need the police, but it's not an emergency, what number do I call?
If you need the police, but it is not of an emergency nature, please call our
non emergency line at (850) 638-6111. Examples of calls which should be placed
to the non emergency line are:
Traffic accidents which do not involve injuries.
Loud music or barking dogs.
Late reported incidents such as a theft with no suspect information.
Requests for information.
To report the malfunctioning of traffic signals.
When calling the emergency line please contact 9-1-1
make
the right call!