When You Call 911
When to call 911
Someone needs help now
Someone is hurt, very sick, or in danger.
You see it happening
A fire, a wreck, or a crime.
You aren’t sure
Call anyway. The dispatcher will decide.
If you call by mistake, don’t hang up
Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher it was a mistake. If you hang up, they may have to call you back or send an officer to check on you.
When the dispatcher answers
Step 1, 0:00
Your county’s 911 center answers
A 911 call from the South Plains goes to the dispatcher for the county you are in.
Step 2, 0:02
Say where you are
The address, or the road and the nearest crossroad. If the call drops, help can still be sent.
Step 3, 0:09
Say what is happening
Then answer the dispatcher’s questions. Help is often already on the way while you talk.
Step 4, 0:21
Stay on the line
Hang up only when the dispatcher tells you to.
Illustration of a call. The address and times are examples.
When it isn’t an emergency
These numbers get you the right help without tying up a 911 line. For a police matter that isn’t urgent, call your county sheriff’s office or city police department on their regular number.
- 988
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Call or text any time if you or someone you know is in crisis.
- 211
Help finding services
Food, housing, utility bills, and other help in Texas.
- 1-800-222-1222
Poison Help
If someone swallowed or touched something harmful and is awake and breathing.
- 811
Call before you dig
Have buried lines marked before any digging, even a fence post.
911 tips for everyone at home
A minute of practice now makes the call easier when it counts.
Children
- Teach them their full address and a parent’s phone number.
- Practice what to say, with the phone turned off.
- Explain that 911 is for real emergencies, not a game.
Older adults
- Keep a list of medicines, doctors, and an emergency contact by the phone.
- Make sure your house numbers can be read from the road at night.
- If you wear a medical alert button, test it the way its company tells you to.
Deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disability
- You can text 911 anywhere in the SPAG region.
- 911 centers also answer TTY calls.
If English is hard for you
- Call 911 and say the language you speak, for example “Spanish.”
- Stay on the line while the dispatcher brings in an interpreter.
Phones that work differently
- Old cell phones
- A cell phone with no service plan can still dial 911, but the dispatcher cannot call it back. If the call drops, call again. Keep this in mind before handing an old phone to a child as a toy.
- Internet phones
- Home phone service that runs over the internet sends 911 the address your provider has on file. If you move, update that address with your provider.
- Offices and hotels
- You can dial 911 from an office or hotel phone without dialing 9 or any other number first. See Kari’s Law below.
Two laws that help 911 find you
- Kari’s Law
- Phones in offices, hotels, and schools must dial 911 directly, without a 9 or any other number first, and let someone on site know a 911 call was made. It is named for Kari Hunt, killed in 2013 in Marshall, Texas, while her daughter tried to dial 911 from a hotel room.
- RAY BAUM’S Act
- 911 calls from office phone systems and internet phones must send a location a responder can act on: the street address, plus the floor or room when it matters. That is why your provider asks for your address, and why you should update it when you move.
Test your knowledge
10 quick questions about calling and texting 911. About two minutes.