Making the call what your child needs to know

							                                                           dispatcher will then explain to the child what
                                                           is going to happen.
                                                                   For younger children, it is helpful to
                                                           talk to them about the people and vehicles
                                                           that are ready to help in an emergency. This
Making the call                                            provides them with an understanding of what
                                                           may happen after a phone call to 911 has been
what your child needs to know about 911                    placed. By being taught to anticipate the
                                                           arrival of Police Officers, Paramedics and
        The City of Ottawa is encouraging all              Firefighters, children may not be as
parents to teach their children about how and when         intimidated to talk to them. Also, reminding
to use 911 in an emergency. It is one of the simplest      the children to stay clear of all emergency
- and most important - lessons you'll ever share with      vehicles that arrive on the scene will help to
your child.                                                ensure their safety.

        While everyone needs to know about calling                 It is important to teach children that
911 in an emergency, children need to be taught            911 is an emergency service and should never
how to recognize what an actual emergency is.              be called as a joke or a prank. Explain to your
Helping them become familiar with the type of              child that unnecessary calls to 911 can delay a
situations that require 911 services will help them        response to someone who actually needs it.
feel confident in making the right decision to place a             The City of Ottawa recommends
call.                                                      reviewing these basic concepts with your
        Children need help in understanding the            children throughout the year so that this
differences between emergencies and non-                   important information is not forgotten when
emergencies. This is best achieved by describing           needed! \
specific situations and letting them work through the
decision making process. A fire, an intruder in the
home or an unconscious family member are all
examples of a 911 emergency. A lost pet or skinned
knees are situations that need to be taken care of
without calling 911. It is important your child
understands that, if in doubt and there’s no adult to
ask, always make the call. It’s better to be safe than
sorry.
        Teaching children how to dial 911, should
always be done, by using an unplugged phone or a
toy phone. This removes the possibility of
mistakenly placing an unnecessary call. Advise your
child that after dialling 911 it is important to stay on
the line and not hang up. They will hear the 911
dispatcher say “Emergency, Urgence. Do you need            For information about safety related topics call
Police, Ambulance or Fire?”. The call will then be          Ottawa Public Health Information (OPHI)
transferred and specific questions will be asked of          at 613-580-6744 or TTY 613-580-9656
the child to try and determine the severity of the                  or visit ottawa.ca/safety.
situation.    This will include asking the child
questions about who, what, where, when and why
regarding the situation. The child will also be asked
for the address of where they are calling. The 911