Williams County Communications Agency 9-1-1 210 North Beech Street Bryan, Ohio 43506 Phone (419) 636-8497 -- Fax (419) 636-3170 Email wcca911@bright.net

When to use 9-1-1….

Dial 9-1-1 for emergency situations only.

For 9-1-1 purposes, an emergency is defined as:

• Any serious medical condition (chest pain, bleeding, seizure etc.)
• Any type of fire (building, car, field etc.)
• Any life-threatening situation (fights, persons with weapons, vehicle accidents etc.)
• Any crimes in progress (weather or not a life is threatened)

All calls not fitting the criteria of an emergency should be placed to the local police department utilizing the agencies’ non-emergency seven-digit telephone number.

If there is not a telephone installed in the residence, 9-1-1 is not available.

Coin phones do not require a coin to place a call to 9-1-1.

When a call is placed from anywhere in Williams County it takes approximately 4-5 seconds for the call to ring into the 9-1-1 center. The Enhanced 9-1-1 system automatically provides the dispatcher with the name and address from which that call is being made. Citizens with hearing and speech impairments can directly reach 9-1-1 through a TDD answering service installed by Verizon.

You won’t forget the number, and programming the number invites accidental dialing

This needlessly burdens the dispatchers and the system with non-emergency calls.

For example, "I am reporting a house fire." Stay on the line with the dispatcher, do not hang up until the dispatcher tells you. In some cases, the dispatcher will keep you on the line until the emergency units are responding to ask additional questions or obtain ongoing information.

Dispatchers have been trained to ask questions that will prioritize the incident, locate it and dispatch an appropriate response. Remain clam and speak clearly. If you are not in a position to give full answers to the dispatcher, stay on the phone and the dispatcher will ask you questions that require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Dispatchers have been trained and certified in emergency medical dispatch and CPR. Each dispatcher must complete a 140-hour training course in law enforcement and fire dispatch. The training has provided them with the tools to assist you until emergency service personnel can get to the scene. Listen carefully and follow the dispatcher’s instructions.

If you make a mistake and reach 9-1-1 by accident, do not hang up. As soon as your call is placed, the Enhanced 9-1-1 system will provide the dispatcher with the name of the phone subscriber and location

From where the call is being placed. The dispatcher must follow up with a return phone call to assure that an emergency situation does not exist.

Calls placed from a cellular telephone will ring into 9-1-1. BUT, when the dispatcher answers the 9-1-1 call, the cellular caller’s location as well as the cellular phone number is not provided to the dispatcher. When placing a cellular 9-1-1 call, you will need to be able to give the dispatcher your location and call back number. Even though a cellular phone may reduce your monthly phone bill, we do not recommend replacing your residential phone with a cellular phone.

By the year 2002, the funding and mechanism should be in place to allow tracking for cellular 9-1-1 calls in the same manner as residential calls are tracked now.