9-1-1 Education Month

Every parent teaches his or her children at an early age what to do in an emergency: Call 9-1-1. It seems simple enough, but with the technology in today’s world, there are often extra steps. On just about any cell phone or smart phone, you have to open the dialer on the phone, dial the number and then press “Call” or “Talk.” Some phones even have one-touch buttons or screen icons that automatically dial 9-1-1.

It’s second nature to you, but does your child understand the difference between dialing on a mobile phone and a home phone? Does your adolescent or teen know that they can’t text 9-1-1? These things could make the difference between life and death for you or someone in your home.

April is 9-1-1 Education Month, a month with the dual purpose of recognizing those who answer emergency calls and stressing the importance of teaching children how to make the call.

Did you know?
The first 9-1-1 system was implemented in Hayleyville, Ala., in 1968. The service has grown to nearly every town or city in the United States with more than 96 percent of the country now covered by a 9-1-1 service. An estimated 240 million 9-1-1 calls are made to more than nine thousand call centers in the U.S. each year, and in some communities up to half of all calls are made from wireless phones.

For more information on emergency calls and 9-1-1 Education Month, visit http://www.e911institute.org/.