What to Expect if You Call 911

• Any situation requiring immediate police, fire, or ambulance response.

• Examples: crimes in progress, crimes which have just occurred and the suspect is still nearby, medical emergencies, fires, serious accidents, threats to life or safety.

• For incidents that are not life-threatening and do not require an immediate police/fire/ambulance response.

• Examples: reporting a crime after it occurred, noise complaints, suspicious activity, minor collisions with no injuries.

Some non-emergencies can also be reported online. Visit our Online Reporting webpage to learn more.

The 911 Communicator who answers your call will need to ask you a variety of questions, including (but not limited to):

• Whether you need police, fire, and/or ambulance
• Location of the emergency
• What is your emergency?
• Details about what is happening, who is present, whether weapons are present, injuries, symptoms, etc.

Please do your best to remain calm, answer the questions you are asked, and follow the instructions provided to you.

The 911 Communicator may continue asking additional questions even after police, fire, or ambulance have been dispatched. The person you are talking to is not the person who is coming to see you. Speaking with a call taker does not delay a response. 

If your call is deemed an emergency, police will arrive promptly.

If we determine your call is urgent, but not an emergency, the time it will take for our officers to arrive can vary depending on how many other urgent calls are waiting, the time of day and the availability and location of officers.

Once you have spoken to a dispatcher, do not call back to 9-1-1 to ask for an estimated time of arrival (ETA). Our dispatchers cannot provide you with an ETA.

Police dispatchers must take every 9-1-1 call seriously. When a caller doesn’t respond, dispatchers must take steps to pinpoint the caller’s location, call them back, and ensure their safety.

If you accidentally place a 9-1-1 call and realize you have done so, it is important that you stay on the line and let the dispatcher know it was an accident. If you hang up, the dispatcher will call you back. It is important that you answer. You will not be in trouble – the dispatcher just needs to make sure there is no emergency at your location. If you do not pick up, police may be dispatched to your location.

To prevent unintentional 9-1-1 calls…

• Lock your phone when you are done using it
• Set a passcode to access your phone
• Adjust your settings
  • Android:
    • Settings > Lock Screen and Security folder > “secure lock settings” > Smart Lock > disable “On-body detection”
  • iOS (iPhone)
    • Settings > Touch ID & Passcode folder > disable relevant options in “Allow access when locked”

If English is not your preferred language, please state your preferred language to the 911 Communicator so they can connect you with an interpreter.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired, you can dial 9-1-1 and press the space bar announcer key repeatedly until a response is received. You can also use TTY: (705) 759-7349 

• Calling from home, you can dial 9-1-1 direct.
• Calling from a business or other location, you may need to dial an outside line before dialling 9-1-1.
• Calling from a pay phone, dial 9-1-1. This is a free call.
• Calling from a cellular phone is free. Be prepared to give the exact location of the emergency.
• If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired, you can call police using T.T.Y access by calling 9-1-1 and pressing the space bar announcer key repeatedly until a response is received.