Dial 9-1-1 if you have an emergency where you need the police, fire, or ambulance.

You should call 9-1-1 when someone is in danger or there is a crime happening right now.

 

What to Expect When You Call 9-1-1

The 9-1-1 operator will first ask if you need police, fire or ambulance. If you ask for the police or fire, the operator will help you. If you ask for ambulance, the 9-1-1 operator will transfer you to an operator at ambulance.

Once you call 9-1-1:

• Stay on the line, do not hang up

• Stay calm

• Tell the operator what your emergency is

 

The 9-1-1 operator will want to know:

• Where you are

• What are you seeing

• Who you are

• When the incident took place

• Weapons present if applicable

• Witnesses

The type of emergency will determine which emergency services need to attend.

 

When can I call back to 9-1-1?

9-1-1 is for emergency calls only. You should only call us back if your situation has changed or you have more information.

 

9-1-1 & DHHSI Community (T-9-1-1/TTY)

If you are part of the deaf, deafened, hard of hearing or speech impaired community the Owen Sound Police Service Communications Centre is able to communicate with you from a teletypewriter (TTY) or through T-9-1-1 services.

T-9-1-1

During an emergency T-9-1-1 provides our 9-1-1 call centre with the ability to converse with the DHHSI community using text messaging.  Before utilizing this service you must register for T-9-1-1 with your wireless service provider AND must have a compatible cell phone that meets the T-9-1-1 requirements.  Please see the link below to determine if you are able to register your phone with your current service provider.  

LEARN MORE

 

When a DHHSI person requires 9-1-1 services, they dial 9-1-1 on their cell phone.  There is no need for them to speak as the 9-1-1 call taker will receive an indicator that tells them to communicate with the caller via text messaging.  The 9-1-1 call taker then initiates text messaging with the caller to address the emergency.

Important Information for T-9-1-1 Users

• Text messages should be brief and concise

• Text abbreviations and slang should never be used so that the intent of the dialog can be as clear as possible

• If the DHHSI callers are outside or near the edge of the 9-1-1 served territory, the 9-1-1 call may not reach the appropriate 9-1-1 call centre

• Cell phones that meet T-9-1-1 requirements will be listed on your wireless service provider website

• T-9-1-1 should only be used for emergency situations that require a response from police, fire or emergency medical services

• Do not call 9-1-1 to test the T-9-1-1 service.  Your wireless service provider can confirm your T-9-1-1 registration

 

9-1-1 Calls from a Teletypewriter (TTY)

A request for police, fire or ambulance can be made using a TTY by calling 9-1-1 and pressing the space bar until they receive a response.

Our 9-1-1 operators will ask you all of the same questions as if you dialed 9-1-1 by phone.

9-1-1 calls from a cell phone

When you call 9-1-1 from a cell phone we can only access limited information about you. So we will need more information from you such as where exactly you're calling from. If you don't know where you are, stay calm and provide us with as much information as you can about your location.

Calls for help that are not emergencies

If you acidently call 9-1-1, stay on the line and tell us you made a mistake. If you hang up on us, our 9-1-1 operators will call back to make sure you are all right and police may attend.

If a crime is not happening right now and no one is in danger, do not call 9-1-1.

To report a non-urgent event, please call us at 519-376-1234. You are also welcome to attend our Service in person to speak with our officers.

Owen Sound Police Service
922 2nd Avenue West
Owen Sound, Ontario
N4K 4M7