911 - What You Should Know

  Collin County has an enhanced 9-1-1 CAD system, so when a person calls 9-1-1 from their home or business phone, the address automatically pulls up on the dispatcher’s monitor. When calling 9-1-1 from a cell phone, there are few things to keep in mind before calling and while on the phone with the dispatcher.  

  Know what specific address or intersection the incident is located. The dispatchers take 9-1-1 calls from over half of the county and may not be familiar with your location.  

Any or all of this information you can provide will prove to be extremely helpfulin the event of an emergency: 

1. If it is an accident – is anybody hurt, if so how many. Is the roadway blocked? 
2. If it is a medical emergency – what is specifically going on?   State why you need to go to the hospital. 
3. If it's a fire do you see flames, or just smoke? What is on fire? Where is it located? Are there structures nearby? If it is a structure that is on fire, does it appear anyone may be home or in the house? 

• Remain calm when talking to the dispatcher. A panicked voice will only delay help.
• Be concise with your statement. Do not state all of the events that lead up the emergency, just state the emergency.  
• Remain on the phone with the dispatcher until told otherwise. 
• Do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 again if the situation has drastically changed.