Do call 911 for
- Crimes in progress
- Life threatening situations
- Fires
- Motor vehicle accidents with personal injury or major damage
- Injuries requiring emergency medical attention
- Mental or physical illness requiring emergency medical response
- Hazardous chemical spills
- Smoke detector or carbon monoxide detectors sounding
- Sparking electrical hazards
- Smoke in a building
- Suspicious activity
- Natural gas leaks
- Dangerous or threatening animals
- Any other emergency situation
Do not call for
- You lose power or telephone service
- Finding a vehicle you know has been impounded
- Questions about traffic tickets (call the issuing agency)
- Inquiring about school openings (call the school directly)
- To get the time of day (call 360-692-8183, ext. 1234)
- Power outages (call 888-225-5773)
- Cable TV outages (call your cable TV provider)
- Telephone outages (call your telephone company)
- Requests for transcripts of 911 calls (call 360-307-5800)
- Water outages or discolorations (only call 911 after regular business hours)
SMS (text message) to 911
Call if you can; text only if you can't. A voice call to 911 will get help moving faster than a text message, but use the method that keeps you, as the caller, safest.
Text-to-911 is intended to benefit people that may not be able to speak due to an emergency such as a home invasion, or abusive partner, as well as individuals that are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities. It is available across Washington, but your phone carrier may not support it.
How to text 911
- Enter 9 1 1 (with no dashes or spaces) in the "to" field of your phone's text messaging app.
- Type your message with the location (including city) and the type of emergency help needed (fire, police, medical).
- Stay with your phone and be prepared to answer questions from the 911 call-taker.