Dial 911 to stop a crime to report a fire to save a life

Dial 911 only for an emergency

An emergency is:

• Any serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding)

• Any type of fire (building, car, brush)

• Any life threatening situation (fights, person with weapons, etc.)

• Any crime in progress (whether or not a life is threatened).

For non-emergencies in the City of Burlington dial:

	●  Police	342-1100
	●  Fire	763-7842

Non-emergency incidents include "cold" (not in progress) crimes such as property thefts or vandalism. You should also use the non-emergency telephone number for intoxicated persons who are not disorderly, cars blocking the street or driveway, non-injury auto accidents or other events not requiring an emergency response.

When the dispatcher answers your 911 call:

• Try to stay calm and speak slowly.

• Briefly describe the type of incident you are reporting.

• Answer any questions the dispatcher has including confirmation of your name, address and telephone number. Dispatchers have been trained to ask questions that will prioritize the incident, locate it and dispatch an appropriate response. Your answers should be brief and responsive.

• If you are not in a position to give full answers to the call-taker (the suspect is nearby), stay on the phone and the dispatcher will ask you questions that can be answered "yes" or "no."

• Do not hang up until the dispatcher tells you to. In some cases, the dispatcher will keep you on the line while the emergency units are responding to ask additional questions or to obtain ongoing information.

911 Misdials

Do not program 911 into your telephone's speed dial. You won't forget the number, and programming the number invites accidental dialing.

If you dial 911 in error, DO NOT hang up the telephone. Instead, stay on the phone and explain to the dispatcher that you dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. If you hang up, police officers must be dispatched to the caller's address. This will needlessly take resources away from genuine emergencies.

The 911 System

The City of Burlington dispatch center has an enhanced 911 system that is part of a county wide emergency answering system.  The Basic 911 system provides three-digit dialing, does not require a coin for pay telephones and consists of intelligent call routing to the appropriate dispatch center that handles the area from where the call is made. An Enhanced 911 system adds the ability to display the caller's address and telephone number on a monitor for the dispatcher's reference.

Land Line Calls

Land line refers to the wired telephone system. All land line 911 calls originating in the City of Burlington are answered by the City of Burlington dispatch center.  Emergency 911 calls from outside the City of Burlington are routed to the appropriate county emergency dispatch center.

Cell Phone Calls

All cell phone 911 calls are answered by a county dispatch center. Cell phone 911 calls go to the nearest open cell tower, which may route your call to a dispatch center other than your local center. All 911 dispatchers are trained to handle cellular calls and route them to the proper agencies. Stay with the call! Be sure to give the dispatcher all of the information requested. If you are unsure of the address from which you are calling, give as much information as you can about your location.

In Burlington you can also dial direct to any of the following numbers:

 

Fire or rescue emergency	262-763-3537
City of Burlington Police	262-342-1100
Town of Burlington Police	262-763-9461
Racine County Sheriff	262-763-2533 or 262-763-9558