911 Emergency Calls

CONTACT US Becky Parsons Communications Manager Email Emergency: 911 Ph: 775-847-0950 Fx: 775-847-1118 Staff Directory   FAQS

Storey County’s communication center answers all calls placed to 911 on land lines in the county. The dispatch center also handles 911 calls from cell phones that are routed to our dispatch center either by the cellular tower or from a neighboring county’s dispatch center.

When calling 911, we ask that you first inform the dispatcher of your location.

Information Dissemination
We take great pride in processing emergency calls quickly and professionally while disseminating information to the appropriate emergency response services. The staff of the Storey County Communication Center follows strict standard operating procedures and has the ability to disseminate information via:

• Cellular phones
• External email
• Fax machines
• Internal email
• Landline phones
• Pagers
• Radios

911 Uses
911 was created for emergency purposes only, which is defined as any immediate threat to life and/or property that requires a response from sheriff, fire, or medical personnel. If you are uncertain if your situation meets these criteria, you should call 911. It’s better to be safe and let the 911 dispatcher determine if you need emergency assistance.
 
When to Call 911

• A fire
• Crimes in progress
• Missing persons--particularly children or elderly subjects
• Serious illness or injury

 
When Not to Call 911

• As a prank
• To get the time or date
• To get a phone number
• To report improper parking
• To find out weather conditions
• To get road conditions
• To report barking dogs
• To report stray animals
• To report missing pets

Helpful Tips for 911
When you call 911, a trained Communications Specialist will answer your call. Depending on the nature of the call, you will be asked to answer a series of questions. Listen carefully and answer all questions. The Communications Specialists are trained to ask certain questions to obtain critical information in order to provide the highest level of public safety response. While the questions may seem unnecessary, the information they obtain will help to appropriately classify the call and get responders to the correct location as quickly as possible.

It is vital that you remain calm and speak clearly. Know that help can be sent while the dispatcher is on the phone with you.

Know Your Location
One of the most important aspects of using the 911 Emergency Telephone System is to make sure that you know your location. The first question that Emergency Dispatchers will ask you is the location of your emergency. Work with your children to ensure they know their address. It is also important for your children to be familiar with their surroundings in case an emergency occurs outside of their home.

Questions
Some of the questions that will be asked when you call 911 are the following:

Where?

• Where is the incident taking place?
• Where is the fire?
• Where is the crime?
• Where is the patient?
• Where are you?
• Where is the suspect?

What?

• What is the nature of the call?
• What are you reporting?
• What type of crime?
• What type of fire?
• Brush, structure, wildland?
• What kind of illness or injury?

Who?

• Who is involved?
• Who needs an ambulance?
• Who are you?
• Who is the suspect?
• How old is the person?
• Is the person conscious?
• Is the person breathing?

When?

• When did this happen?
• Is it in progress?
• Did it just occur?
• Weapons?Are there any weapons involved?
• Does anyone have access to weapons?

Safety First
Never place yourself or other in danger. Do not attempt to apprehend or detain suspects.