TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Never refer to 9-1-1 as 9-eleven.  There is no such number as 11 on the telephone and a child may easily become confused in a real emergency.

Unplug your phone and practice dialing 9-1-1 and/or pushing the numbers so your child will have practice.

Help younger children distinguish between the 9 and the 6.

Teach your children your address and ask them to repeat it at least twice a week at different times.

Give your children scenarios of when they would want to call 9-1-1.

• Explain using the general rule: only call 9-1-1 to save a life, stop a crime or report a fire.
• Explain that 9-1-1 is not a toy or a game.  Try to explain it so that kids understand that if someone calls 9-1-1 for fun, it may keep an ambulance from getting to someone they love.

Make sure your children know to call 9-1-1 from a safe place.

• Explain to them that if there is a fire in the house, they should get out and call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's house.

UNUSED CELLULAR TELEPHONES ARE NOT TOYS:

In 2008, we dealt with multiple children that were given unused cellular telephones as toys.  In one case, we received more than 60 calls from the same child.  This incident took approximately 2 hours and required the Police Officer to check multiple locations before the child was located.  Amazingly, in all these cases the parents recharged the telephone for the children.  These telephones are still able to call 9-1-1.  Please do not give an operational cellular telephone to your children as a toys.

INFORMATION:

For more information about 9-1-1, we suggest visiting 911forKids.com or select from the list below.

 Updated:  04/01/2011