When should you call 911?
In an emergency, you should never hesitate to call 911. An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from police, fire or EMS personnel. Examples include a fire, a crime (especially in progress), a car crash, or a medical emergency.
Our non-emergency number is (231) 689-5288 for crimes that are not in progress, or to speak to a dispatcher.
What questions should you expect when calling 911?
1. “Newaygo County 911, where is your Emergency?” If we don’t know where you are, we can’t send help.
2. What are your cross streets? We ask this question to verify we are sending help to the right location. Many streets within our county run the entire length and width of Newaygo County.
3. What is happening? This helps us determine whether we need to send the police, fire department, or EMS.
The rest of a 9-1-1 call is catered to getting the proper information to keep you and first responders safe. Giving us this information does not slow down the response time in getting you the help you need. Depending on the severity of the situation, we may keep you on the phone until help arrives.
Cell Phones
Did you know that it is a law that any cell phone can dial 911? Even cell phones that no longer have service on them are capable of dialing 911 in an emergency. For this reason, we ask that you do not allow children to play with cell phones, regardless whether they are active or inactive.
Most everyone has a cell phone these days. Although they are handy to have, especially in an emergency, they don’t provide us with your location right away. It is best to know where you are at all times, but if you don’t know, we have technology that can help us find you. However, this can take 30 seconds to a minute or sometimes longer to get your exact location. Once we are able to get a good location, we can then get help started to you.
Accidental 911 Calls
Accidental 911 calls happen, we understand. If this ever happens to you, please stay on the line and let us know that it was an accidental dial. When you hang up the phone without saying something, you tie up time and resources that need to be used for emergencies.
