What is   9-1-1   ?

9-1-1 is an immediate way you may call for your public safety services during an emergency. These services include your Police Department, your Fire Department and Area Ambulance Service, your emergency medical service provider.

What is an emergency ?

An emergency can be defined as a situation that poses an imminent danger to life or property. You can make a determination of a situation by asking yourself this question: Are the police, fire department or paramedic assistance needed right now to protect life or property? For instance, any fire or smell of smoke, a heart attack, an in-progress assault, a shooting or an injury traffic accident are examples of calls for which 9-1-1 should be used.

For non-emergency service calls to your Police Department, you should dial 286-5491. Non-emergency calls would include those such as reporting a loud party, a bicycle stolen some time ago, an assault that may have happened yesterday or a burglary that may have happened some time earlier.

For other calls to your Police or Fire Departments or Area Ambulance Service, consult your telephone directory for a listing of telephone numbers to be used for administrative or other non-emergency purposes.

As a good rule of thumb, if you can’t decide whether the call is an emergency or not, it is better to err on the side of safety. In other words, when in doubt, dial 9-1-1.