Should I Call the Fire Station or 911?

It's a common scenario- you see smoke, you think it might be a wildfire (but you are not sure), so you call the fire station instead of 911. Unfortunately, there are no dispatchers at the fire station, so you just delayed our response.

Dispatchers are trainined at gathering information that will help direct resources to an incident. They may even provide instructions while waiting for help arrive. Dispatchers have the ability to start the process of positioning resources where they need to be and can relay updates to incoming responders. They can pinpoint your location and view related calls for help. Dispatch centers can communicate with mulitple agencies, including police, ambulance, public utilities, and neighboring fire departments.

When you call the fire station to announce an emergency, you could be wasting precious time. We either have to call 911 for you, or tell you to hang up and dial 911.