Officials share the do’s and don’ts of calling 911

JACKSON, Tenn. — Calling 911 is something we hope we never have to do, but when an emergency happens that’s the number we all go to.

“If you have a medical emergency, you’re going to call 911. If you see a fire, if you see a crime in process, if your life is in danger, call 911,” Madison County 911 director Kim Augustine said.

But some things you might think of as an emergency are really not.

“If your neighbor’s dog is barking, if somebody has cut in front of you in the drive through, if someone is playing loud music, those are non-emergencies,” she said.

Calling about things like that tie-up the lines which can mean someone with a life-threatening emergency is waiting.

Another thing that ties-up the lines? Kids and old cell phones.

“We get a lot of 911 calls from phone playing due to a child playing with a phone,” said Jackson Central Dispatch director LaNonda Jernigan.

Jernigan says whether it’s happening here in the city or the county, whether it’s a house fire, wreck or some other kind of emergency, they’ll get several calls about the same issue.

So it is important to leave the lines open for emergencies, but they do get some unusual calls.

“We have received phone calls on 911 that cows are out of the pasture,” Jernigan said.

Like back in 2017 when the Henry County Sheriff’s Office roped a loose bull on Highway 79, or just last year when there was a goat running loose on Herron Grove Road in south Jackson.

What do you do if you make an accidental call to 911?

“Stay on the line with them. Just tell them it was an accident. If you hang up before talking to the 911 operator, they will call you back to make sure you’re OK,” Augustine said.

Madison County also has text to 911 so you can send a message from your cell phone.

They are also working with some new technology that will help them better locate someone calling from a cellphone in case the caller doesn’t know exactly where they are.