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Life Guide U.S. essentials
English

Written by this site from official U.S. sources

Dial 911 for police, fire or an ambulance, give the address first, and stay on the line

  • Top value
  • Evidence A
  • Buys life
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In plain words

In the U.S., one number, 911, gets you the police, the fire department or an ambulance. When someone answers, say where you are first (street address, and the apartment or room number in a big building), then what is happening. Do what the call-taker tells you and don't hang up until they say so. Call if you can. Texting 911 works only in some places.

Cost

Free. The call takes a few minutes.

What you get

911.gov: "In an emergency, dial 911 from your phone immediately." An emergency is "any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance." Be ready to tell the call-taker: the location, including the street address and room or apartment number in a large building; the phone number you are calling from; what the emergency is; and details such as injuries or symptoms, or a description of a fire or of a suspect. Many 911 centers can give step-by-step instructions, for example for choking, first aid or CPR, until help arrives. "Do not hang up until the call-taker instructs you to do so." If you dial 911 by mistake, don't hang up. Explain to the call-taker what happened. Text-to-911 is not available everywhere: "it is always best to call 911 if you can, and text if you can't." If texting isn't available where you are, you should get an immediate bounce-back message saying the text was not delivered.

Notes

Works nationwide. Any cell phone can call 911 even without a service plan, but such a phone does not send your location and the 911 center cannot call it back if you get cut off. With few exceptions, 911 calls cannot be transferred to another town or state. To get help for someone in a different place, call the 10-digit police number for that community. For poisoning, see the Poison Help entry; for a mental-health crisis, see the 988 entry.

Evidence grade
A: Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources
  1. National 911 Program (NHTSA). Calling 911. https://www.911.gov/calling-911/
  2. National 911 Program (NHTSA). Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.911.gov/calling-911/frequently-asked-questions/

Sources checked 2026-10-12

Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you.