The Steuben County Communications Department with the assistance of “Red E. Fox” and 9-1-1 for Kids has put together a presentation available for your classroom about the use of 9-1-1. This presentation lasts approximately 30 minutes and teaches children “how to dial 9-1-1”, “when to call”, and “what to say” when an emergency arises and they need to cal 9-1-1. It also explains the difference between calling from a home phone and calling from a cellular phone, as well as, what phones they can call 9-1-1 from.
Twenty percent of all telephone calls to 9-1-1 are “abandoned” calls, hang-ups or silent and many of these are made by children ages 4 to 7. Every abandoned call that comes into the 9-1-1 center must be traced by emergency personnel, which can take police and dispatchers away from real emergencies. The objective of this program is to decrease the misuse of the emergency number and to teach children what will happen if an emergency does arise, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the 9-1-1 system.
Anyone interested in having their students view this presentation, please contact Steuben County Communications Department at (260) 665-3131 to set up a time that is convenient for you and your class during the school year. Please provide an approximate number of students and teachers viewing the presentation when calling to set up an appointment so the proper amount of handout material can be provided. If you have any further questions or request more information on the presentation please feel free to contact us at the above number.