LASD Palmdale Station Child Safety Tips: Teaching Children to Call 9-1-1

Palmdale, California - October 28, 2013

At any given time an emergency situation can occur within your home. Teaching your child how to call 911 can save your life or a family member’s life, in an event of an emergency. You can start teaching your child how to dial 911 as soon as they can play with a phone. Below are tips that can assist you in teaching your child how to call 911.

• Teach your child when to call 911 and to know their location at the time of the call. 
• Teach your child to use the home phone before using a cell phone. When using a home phone your address will automatically be displayed to the 911 dispatcher. 
• Teach your child not to hang-up the phone until told to do so. Typically, 911 dispatchers will keep the child on the line until emergency personnel respond. 
• Teach your child to remain calm when giving information to the 911 dispatcher. 
• Stress to your child how important it is not to make things up. A child may see the dispatcher’s questions as a quiz and feel they might let someone down if they don’t know the answer. Teach your child to say “I don’t know”. 
• Have your child practice dialing 911 on an unplugged phone. Ask your child questions a dispatcher would ask in an event of an emergency. 
• Teach your child when to call 911. Use concepts like, when an adult can’t wake up, a fire in the home, or an intruder in the home. 
• Stress to your child not to call 911 as a joke. It is a crime in many places and a citation could be issued.

Working together as a community, we can educate ourselves and our children on how to call 911 in the event of an emergency. If you would like further information on teaching your child how to use 911, please visit www.kidshealth.org. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Palmdale Sheriff Station at 661-272-2400 or email Deputy Jodi Wolfe at jewolfe@lasd.org.

- Deputy Jodi Wolfe