SIERRA VISTA — The Sierra Vista Police Department has recently received calls from residents regarding medical issues or possible criminal activities. In these cases the residents did not feel it was a “life or death” emergency and waited until normal business hours to call the police. Some of these calls were emergencies and the callers should have dialed 911. Use the following guidelines to determine when to call 911.
An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance. Examples include: fires; a crime, especially if in progress; suspicious activity, such as someone sneaking around the backyard at odd hours; a car crash, especially if someone is injured; a medical emergency, such as someone who is unconscious, gasping for air or not breathing; or someone experiencing an allergic reaction, having chest pain, having uncontrollable bleeding or any other symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
Those who are not sure whether the situation is a true emergency should call 911 anyway and let the 911 operator determine whether emergency help is needed.
When calling 911, be prepared to answer questions, which may include:
- The location of the emergency, including the street address
- The phone number you are calling from
- The nature of the emergency
- Details about the emergency, such as a physical description of a person who may have committed a crime, a description of any fire that may be burning, or a description of injuries or symptoms being experienced by a person with a medical emergency
These questions are important to get the right kind of help on-site quickly.
For non-emergency calls contact the Sierra Vista Police Department, 452.7500.
For more information, contact Cpl. Scott Borgstadt, 452-7500 ext. 788 or www.SierraVistaAZ.gov.
