Talking to Your Child About 9-1-1

a script for parents to talk to their children about calling 9-1-1

What's an EMERGENCY? (when something bad happens that

needs to be taken care of quickly)

Let's talk about some sorts of emergencies. A little fire in the

house is an emergency. A bad guy coming into the house is
an emergency, an unconscious family member is an emergency. Being unconscious is when you
fall or get hurt and it looks like you're sleeping but can't wake up even if someone shakes you.

In all of these emergencies you need help. You can get the help you need by getting a phone,
turning it on and dialing 9-1-1.

(Note to parents: Always refer to the emergency number as "nine-one-one" not "nine-eleven." In
an emergency, a child may not know how to dial the number correctly because of trying to find
the "eleven" button on the phone.)

A little fire in the house, an unconscious person and a bad guy in the house are all things that
would require a call to 911. A skinned knee, a stolen bicycle, or a lost pet wouldn't. If ever in
doubt and there's no adult around to ask, make the call. It's much better to be safe than sorry.

When you call 9-1-1 someone will pick up and be able to help you. But first they need to ask you
some questions. They might ask you...

• What's your emergency?

• Where are you calling from? (Where do you live?)
• What's your name?
• Who needs help?
• Is the person awake and breathing?

It's OK to be frightened in an emergency, but it's important to stay calm, speak slowly and clearly,
and give as much detail to the 911 operator as possible. The operator will send firefighters,
police, or ambulance attendants to our house to help. You should open the door when they
come and answer their questions. If our family member needs to go with them, you might need
to go, too.

If there is a big fire in the house you must run from the house to our neighbours (tell your
children which neighbours you trust and make sure they know how to get to their house). Our
neighbour will help you call 9-1-1 from their house, but it's important to get away from the fire to
be safe first.
Practice Drills
Okay, let's practice! (Use these
practice keypads to have your child
practice touching to
access the keypad and then:

Make sure they are

familiar with the keys to touch before
moving on to practice drills.)

Get two telephones that are turned

off, so they don't actually dial, and
role-play with your child as
themselves and you as the 911
operator. Repeat that this is very
serious practice for an emergency
and not something they should do
when it is not an emergency.

Practice #1 - Mommy is carrying a basket of laundry up
the stairs. She trips and falls down the stairs. When you
see her laying on the floor you talk to her, but she
doesn't answer you. What should you do? (Call 9-1-1)
• What's your emergency?
• Where are you calling from? (Where do you
live?)
• What's your name?
• Who needs help?
• Is the person awake and breathing?
• I'll send an ambulance right away.
Practice #3 - You hear a noise downstairs and see a
stranger in the house. Your parents aren't home. What
should you do? (Call 9-1-1)
• What's your emergency?
• Where are you calling from? (Where do you
live?)
• What's your name?
• Who needs help?
• Is the person awake and breathing?
• I'll send the police right away.

Practice #2 - You smell smoke and walk into the
kitchen. The toaster has a lot of smoke coming out of it
and you see flames. What should you do? (Tell anyone
else at home and run to a trusted neighbour's house.
Then call 9-1-1.)
Practice #4 - You want to go bike riding with your
friends, and you search and search, but you can't find
your bike. What should you do? (DON'T call 9-1-1. This
is NOT an emergency.)

• What's your emergency?

• Where are you calling from? (Where do you

•
live?)
What's your name?
When we are safe and know
• Who needs help? how to handle an emergency,
• Is the person awake and breathing?
• I'll send a firetruck right away. we can feel safe in our home!