9-1-1 Basics

Calling 9-1-1

The West Baton Rouge Parish Central Communications Center is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with trained emergency telecommunicators, ready to help you in a time of emergency. 9-1-1 should be called only in situations that require immediate assistance from the police, fire or ambulance services in our area.

Call 911 For Emergencies Only-911 should be called for incidents where it is vital that units respond immediately including: Fires, any Medical Problems, Car Wrecks, and Law Enforcement incidents that are in progress, that have just occurred, or where a suspect is in the area. In order to answer the numerous Emergency calls that are made every moment as quickly as possible with the limited number of 911 phone lines and 911 Call-Takers in any community, calling 911 for any reason other than reporting an Emergency is prohibited.

Know what to tell the Telecommunicator

•Whenever you call 9-1-1, it is vital to remain calm, speak clearly and stay on the line to answer all the emergency telecommunicator's questions. You will also receive instructions on how to help any victims or prepare your home for arriving emergency responders.

•Know the location of the Emergency including the lot, building, room or suite you are in. The phone number you are calling from, and tell this to the Call-Taker immediately-A 911 Call-Taker first needs the address or intersection where the Emergency is so that in case the call is disconnected, Responders can still be dispatched.

•Listen to the Call-Taker, provide the information they ask for, and if you can do so safely, follow their instructions-911 Call-Takers are Highly Trained and only ask for information that is vital for Responders. Following instructions from the Call-Taker does not prevent Responders from being dispatched. When you call 911, remaining in control of your emotions, following the Call-Takers instructions, and providing the Call-Taker with all the.

Make sure the appropriate age children know what 9-1-1 means and when to use it.

Know when to call 9-1-1

9-1-1 is for emergencies only. You should only be dialing 9-1-1 if someone is hurt or in danger, or if you are in immediate need of police, fire, or medical assistance. If you aren’t sure if your situation is an emergency, you should err on the side of safety and call 9-1-1 and let the expert who answers your call make the decision whether to send help or not.

Know when not to call 9-1-1

•Don’t call 9-1-1 just because you burned dinner and your guests are arriving any minute, or because you are late for a meeting and need help finding an address. While those situations may count as emergencies for you, they aren’t for public safety. Inappropriate use of the 9-1-1 system wastes resources and ties up the lines at the 9-1-1 center, and nobody wants to be on hold when they are in the middle of a real crisis. Not to mention that in most states harassing or making prank calls to 9-1-1 is a crime, and you don’t want law enforcement showing up at your door.

•For non-emergency calls, please call the WBR Parish dispatch center at 225-490-0911.

Know your location

This is probably the most important information you can provide as a 9-1-1 caller, so try to be aware of your surroundings. Make a real effort to be as detailed as possible. If you are outside and don’t know the street address, take a look around and try to find landmarks or cross streets. If you are inside a large building or one with multiple levels, you can help emergency services by letting them know which floor you are on, which apartment you are in, etc

When calling 911, one of the first things you’ll be asked to provide is the location of the emergency you’re reporting. Know where you are, If we do not know where you are we cannot help you. The following information will be helpful when calling 911:

  • Always be aware of your surroundings.
  • The call taker may not automatically know your location or may ask you to confirm it.
  • Tell the call taker the location of the emergency. Provide landmarks such as cross streets and mileposts.

Never hang up

You may have called 9-1-1 by accident, or your situation may have resolved itself, but it is important to let the 9-1-1 operator know this. If you end the call abruptly, the folks at the 9-1-1 center are going to assume that something has gone very wrong and will either call you back or send help anyway. This will take away from the 9-1-1 center’s ability to take calls and dispatch services to on-going emergencies, so make sure the 9-1-1 call taker tells you it is ok to disconnect before you hang up. And keep in mind that the call taker can dispatch responders to your location without disconnecting from the call, so, until you are instructed to do otherwise, make sure to hold the line so that you can provide any necessary information or assistance to the 9-1-1 operator.

Know the capabilities of the device you are using

  • 9-1-1 can be contacted from pretty much every device that can make phone calls (traditional landline, cell, VoIP), but the callback and location information that accompanies your call to the 9-1-1 center can vary drastically amongst technologies and between geographic regions. 9-1-1 and telecommunications professionals are hard at work to make sure 9-1-1 works the same on all devices in the future, but until then it is your job to be knowledgeable about benefits and limitations associated with various technologies. Contact your service provider(s) for more information
  • Do not give old phones to children as toys. A wireless phone with no active service can still call 911.
  • If you accidentally call 911, stay on the line and tell the receiver that you do not have an emergency.
  • Lock your keypad when you’re not using your phone, so 911 isn’t dialed by mistake. For the same reason, don’t put 911 on speed dial.
  • Use a Landline whenever possible to call 911. Cell phone calls aren’t always routed to the closest call center and after reaching the wrong call center you will be transferred to the correct call center.

Can I send a text to 9-1-1?

Yes. Cellular customers living in or traveling through the West Baton Rouge Parish may be able to use their mobile phones to send a text message to 911 for emergency help. Texting should only be used during an emergency when you are unable to make a voice call to 9-1-1.

How to text 9-1-1 in an emergency:

• Enter the numbers “911” in the “To” field;

• The first text message to 9-1-1 should be brief and contain the location of the emergency and type of help needed;

• Push the “Send” button.

• Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 9-1-1 call taker.

•Text in simple words – do not use abbreviations.

• Keep text messages brief and concise.

How do I text 911?

•Look for the message icon on your cell phone. Put 911 in the number field of your text message screen. Then, put the location and type of emergency in the message field.

Why is texting 911 important?

•Texting is intended to benefit people that may not be able to speak due to an emergency such as a home invasion or abusive partner, as well as individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have limited speech capabilities.

Does Text to 911 replace voice 911 calls?

•Texting should ONLY be used when you are unable to make a voice call to 911. If you can place a voice call, we can gather information more quickly from you about the emergency, your location and what hazards responders may encounter. If, however, you are unable to place a voice call, text to 911 is an option you can use to share this information. The key thing to remember is “Call if you Can, Text if You Can’t.”

What are the challenges with accepting 911 texts?

•The 911 call center cannot identify the person’s exact location. Location accuracy is worse with text messages than when you call into 911. Additionally, it can take more time for a call taker to respond to a written text message, or we may receive gaps if messages don’t come through.

What happens if someone texts a 911 call center that does not accepts texts?

•Anywhere 911 text services are not available, callers should receive a “bounce back” 

How do I text 911?

•Look for the message icon on your cell phone. Put 911 in the number field of your text message screen. Then, put the location and type of emergency in the message field.

Why is texting 911 important?

•Texting is intended to benefit people that may not be able to speak due to an emergency such as a home invasion or abusive partner, as well as individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have limited speech capabilities.

Does Text to 911 replace voice 911 calls?

•Texting should ONLY be used when you are unable to make a voice call to 911. If you can place a voice call, we can gather information more quickly from you about the emergency, your location and what hazards responders may encounter. If, however, you are unable to place a voice call, text to 911 is an option you can use to share this information. The key thing to remember is “Call if you Can, Text if You Can’t.”

What are the challenges with accepting 911 texts?

•The 911 call center cannot identify the person’s exact location. Location accuracy is worse with text messages than when you call into 911. Additionally, it can take more time for a call taker to respond to a written text message, or we may receive gaps if messages don’t come through.

What happens if someone texts a 911 call center that does not accepts texts?

•Anywhere 911 text services are not available, callers should receive a “bounce back” message that says text to 911 is NOT available in that area.

Can I send photos and video?

•For the moment, 911 can only accept written words. Accepting pictures and

•video will be coming in the future; however, many of the carriers cannot transmit multi-media messaging (MMS) at this time.

Can I send emojis?

•No, most phones turn emoticons into multi-media messages (MMS) which are currently blocked by the phone carriers. This means your whole message to 911 may be garbled or simply won’t come through at all to 911.

Can I include 911 in a group text or send a text to 911?

•No. If you add 911 to a group text, we will not receive your message.

Will this cost the public more money?

•There is no cost to the person texting 911. You must have a text or data plan with your wireless provider to text 911.

Who governs text to 911?

•The FCC required the wireless carriers to offer text to 911 service, but there is nor requirements for a 9-1-1 to be able to receive it.

•“Call if You Can, Text if You Can’t”

A few things to remember about text to 9-1-1

Text location information is not equal to current location technology.

•As with all text messages, 9-1-1 messages can take longer to receive, can get out of order or may not be received.

•Text-to-9-1-1 is not available if you are roaming.

•A text or data plan is required to place a text-to-9-1-1.

•If texting to 9-1-1 is not available in your area, or is temporarily unavailable, you will receive a message indicating that texting 9-1-1 is not available and to contact 9-1-1.

•Photos and videos cannot be sent to 9-1-1 at this time.

•Text-to-9-1-1 cannot include more than one person. Do not send your emergency text to anyone other than 9-1-1.

Emergency Use Only

  • Call 911 for emergencies only.
  • It is appropriate to call 911 when you need to save a life, stop a crime or report a fire.
  • 911 is the right number to call in an emergency when a prompt response is needed.

Stay Calm, Be Prepared

When you are on the phone with 9-1-1, you are their eyes and ears. Even though you may want to, try not to panic. If you are crying or yelling, it can be hard for the 9-1-1 operator to understand you. If you are able to stay strong, pull yourself together, and please answer all of the 9-1-1 operator’s questions, the faster they can get the right services to your location.

  • Try to stay calm, listen carefully, give information and follow all instructions.
  • In an emergency, seconds matter, so being knowledgeable and prepared can make all the difference.
  • Knowing when to call and what to expect when you phone 911 can help reduce fear and feelings of helplessness in an emergency.