Midwest City Emergency Operations Center

Midwest City Emergency Operations Center

Emergency Operations Center Basic Calling Tips

When should I call 911?
When should I not call 911 and then who should I call?
What happens when I dial 911/Who answers my 911 call?
Where is 911 located?
What information do I need to give 911?
Why do telecommunicators ask so many questions?
How does 911 know my address?
What about when I call from a cell phone?
Can hearing impaired people call 911?
Can non-English speaking people call 911?

BASIC CALLING TIPS
Stay calm, speak slowly and clearly.

Tell the operator which kind of personnel you need - Police, Fire, or EMS.
Know where the emergency is, including a specific address or cross streets.
Answer all of the operator's questions as best as you can.
If you want to be anonymous, let the telecommunicator know. We may still ask for your name and phone number but this information will be used for emergency response personnel only.
If you can't talk for whatever reason, leave the phone off the hook so the telecommunicator can hear what's going on and units will be sent to the address received from Enhanced 911, unless calling from a cell phone.
If you're calling from a cell phone, be sure to give your cell phone number in case the call is disconnected. Also be sure to know where the emergency is since there is no location information given to the computer.
For police calls, get as much information as possible - what kind of car, tag information, clothing descriptions, etc.
For medical calls, give any information about medical conditions, medications the person is taking, etc.

If possible, it may help to have someone outside to flag down emergency personnel to the correct house - this is especially helpful in rural locations or in business complexes.

When should I call 911?
911 is designed for emergencies only - this means anytime there is an IMMEDIATE threat to life or property including:

medical difficulties
any type of fight or disturbance
a vehicle accident that has just occurred
a fire, gas leak, or smoke visible
any suspicious person, vehicle or activity

***IF YOU AREN'T SURE IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY, CALL 911***

In the case that you should accidentally dial 911, please stay on the line and let the operator know that it was an accident. If you hang up, emergency personnel will be sent until we can make contact to establish what is going on.

When should I not call 911 and then who should I call?
The following are examples of non-emergency situations:

water or power outages
loud parties, barking dogs, stray dogs
weather and/or road conditions
information such as addresses, directions, or finding out if someone is in jail

***IF YOU AREN'T SURE IF IT'S AN EMERGENCY, CALL 911***

The following are phone numbers for agencies that can assist with various situations:

MWC Non-Emergency Line	732-2266
MWC Water Dept.	739-1252
OG&E [Electric Company]	272-9595 [to report outages] 272-1010 [customer service]
MWC Animal Control	427-6640
MWC Jail	739-1314
Oklahoma Natural Gas	551-4000
MWC Court Clerk	739-1283

What happens when I dial 911/Who answers my 911 call?
When you call 911, your call is automatically routed to the appropriate PSAP [Public Safety Answering Point]. Midwest City uses Enhanced 911, meaning the phone number you're calling from [not cell phones] is automatically accessed in the phone company database & transmitted to the 911 center giving the phone number, address, & name of the person the phone is registered to. These records aren't always accurate, so your phone & address should be verified by the operator. 3 telecommunicators work at one time in the E.O.C. [Emergency Operations Center] dispatching police, fire, & medical personnel as well as answering emergency & non-emergency phone calls. These people ARE NOT certified police officers or medics, but can assist you with answering many questions & dispatching the appropriate personnel for your specific problem.

Where is 911 located?
Midwest City's E.O.C. is located in the basement at the municipal complex on the northwest corner of Reno and Midwest Blvd. We dispatch the Midwest City Police Department and Midwest City Fire Department as well Midwest Regional EMS (which covers emergency ambulance service for Midwest City, Del City, Moore, Choctaw, Harrah, Spencer, Forest Park, Nicoma Park, Luther, Jones and eastern Oklahoma County and Tinker AFB). For a map of our coverage area, click here .

What information do I need to give 911?
Three basic pieces of information are needed to dispatch emergency personnel:

location - a specific address, including house, apartment or suite number
nature of the emergency - What is going on so we know which personnel to send
other details - descriptions of the suspects, is the person breathing at all, how many people are involved, etc

STAY ON THE LINE! DO NOT HANG UP until you are told you can do so--
We are trained to get more information WHILE UNITS ARE RESPONDING

Why do telecommunicators ask so many questions?
The people who answer your phone calls are trained in handling emergency situations and sending out the appropriate personnel. As soon as the basic information of where and what is going on is obtained, units are sent on the way, but more information may be needed. (DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE WE ARE ASKING MORE QUESTIONS, HELP IS NOT ON THE WAY, HELP IS DISPATCHED AS SOON AS WE KNOW THE PROBLEM, WE DO NOT HAVE TO HANG UP TO SEND HELP) For example, if your call is about a break in that is in progress, you might be asked how many people there were, if they had any weapons, what they looked like, and if they are leaving and in which direction. ALL QUESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT and your giving the correct information can make a big difference on the outcome of the situation. Also, even though Midwest City works on Enhanced 911, the database information is not always correct - your phone number and address will be verified and we may call you back if we need more information.

How does 911 know my address?
The Enhanced 911 system accesses the phone number you are calling from your phone companies database and transmits the information to the 911 center on their computer screen. This information includes the name the phone is registered to, the address and the phone number itself. This will work on phones from houses, businesses, apartments and pay phones -
IT WILL NOT WORK FROM CELL PHONES.

What about when I call from a cell phone?
Right now there is no information received when a caller is using a cell phone, so it is CRITICAL to know where you are when you call! Since there is no location information other than which tower the signal bounced off of, your call may not be routed to the appropriate PSAP [Public Safety Answering Point]. If you know which city you are in, you can save time in getting to the correct agency [also note that if you are on the interstate or any highway, you will need to talk to Oklahoma Highway Patrol and should know which exit or mile marker you are near]. If you are unsure of what street you are on, try to identify key landmarks, businesses etc. to ensure we can get emergency personnel where they are needed.

Can hearing impaired people call 911?
YES - Midwest City 911 uses a computer system that is compatible with TTY/TDD machines so that we can communicate directly with the hearing impaired. If calling from a phone without a TTY machine connected, you can leave the phone off the hook [as long as it's not a cell phone] and Enhanced 911 will give the address so that police officers can be dispatched. There is also a TTY/TDD machine in the E.O.C. for non-emergency calls.

Can non-English speaking people call 911?
YES - Midwest City works with a company called Language Line to interpret other languages for emergency situations. If a friend or family member speaks better English, it may help to have them interpret initially so the basic information can be received. Again, if nothing else can be communicated, Enhanced 911 will give us the address to respond to as long as the call is not coming from a cell phone.