Call 9-1-1 to receive help for emergencies and potential emergencies.
- Ask yourself, "What is the level of urgency?"
- Is there danger to life, property or the environment?
- Do you have a police emergency?
- Does the caller or someone else have a medical emergency?
- Does the caller need the fire department?
What Will The Dispatcher Want To Know?
- What is happening
- Where the situation is occurring
- When the incident occurred
- Who is involved,
- Weapon involvement
- Injuries
These questions help us to send the right kind of help to you as quickly as possible. They also help us to keep our police officers, firefighters, and paramedics safe by helping them know what to expect when they arrive.
We may keep you on the line to gather more information, even after we dispatch police, fire, or medical help to your location. Do not hang up.
What If I Call 9-1-1 By Accident?
Do not hang up. Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher that everything is all right. If you don't, the dispatcher may think that something is wrong and send a police officer.
What If I Need Help But It's Not An Emergency?
Not all calls for Police, Fire, or EMS are an emergency, but they still must be processed by our Center. If you call 9-1-1 and the dispatcher determines your call requires response, but not emergency response, you will be transferred to the non-emergency dispatch line. You may also call the non-emergency line directly at 415-553-0123.
3-1-1 provides information for all City services, 24 hours per day, in multiple languages. You can also access 3-1-1 online.
What If The Caller Speaks Limited English?
San Francisco's 9-1-1 center can connect callers to an interpreter service that provides translation for over 170 languages. San Francisco also employs dispatchers who speak Spanish and Cantonese, the two major non-English languages spoken in San Francisco.
Callers with limited English can help us provide a faster response by immediately tellling us the English name for the language they speak, which will help us quickly connect them to a translator. They can also post a few English words next to the telephone such as 'Police', 'Fire', 'Sick', or 'Hurt'.
What Happens When I Call 9-1-1 From A Cellular Phone?
Approximately 70% of the cell towers located in the San Francisco can direct wireless 9-1-1 calls immediately to San Francisco's 9-1-1 dispatch center. The remaining wireless 9-1-1 calls, usually those made near highways, go to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch center in Vallejo, which can then re-direct the call to the appropriate agency.
Calls made from the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, a divided state highway (like the Great Highway), or locations close to those highways, may be directed to the CHP in Vallejo. This is because calls from state highway locations often involve traffic accidents.
You can also chose to dial 415-553-8090 to reach San Francisco 9-1-1 dispatch directly.
Unlike 9-1-1 calls made from a home, office, or payphone, calls made from a cellular phone cannot identify the caller's specific address. It is important that you provide your location to the dispatcher when calling 9-1-1 from a cellular phone.
The majority of 9-1-1 calls we receive from cell phones are the result of accidental dialing. Processing these calls can delay help for real emergencies. Become familiar with the features of your cell phone, especially the "key lock", which prevents accidental dialing.
More information is available about dialing 9-1-1 from a cell phone in the "California Cell Phone Users" brochure (PDF), as well as the "VoIP Subscribers" brochure (PDF).
What If I Am Speech-Impaired Or Hearing-Impaired?
San Francisco provides equal access to 9-1-1 services for callers who use Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TTY). TTY users may call 9-1-1, or use the 7-digit emergency line (553-8090).
Although it is not required, TTY users can expedite recognition of their call by the 9-1-1 dispatcher by tapping the spacebar on the TTY every few seconds. Tapping the spacebar sends tones to equipment at the 9-1-1 center notifying the dispatcher that the call may be a TTY call.
