When to Call? 911 / 311
Call 911 anytime you have an emergency when police, fire or medical response is required immediately. Examples of 911 emergencies include fire, crimes in progress or that just occurred, or a medical crisis. A good rule of thumb is - when life or property is threatened or at immediate risk, or if there is a good chance that a criminal can be apprehended, call 911. If you are unsure how serious an incident is, do not hesitate to call 911. Assistance will be dispatched to the most critical calls first.
Check out this quick facts sheet: When Calling 911 (PDF). Call precedence from highest to lowest:
If in doubt, call 911. Better to be safe than sorry.
Never make a "test" call or "prank" call to 911. These calls tie up the phone lines and take Dispatchers' time and attention away from taking care of real emergency situations.
Never call 911 and hang up. If you accidentally dial 911, do not hang up. Let the call taker know that you accidentally called. Otherwise, the call taker will attempt to call you back, possibly multiple times, to try to make sure you’re okay. This creates extra work for our 911 call takers that would otherwise be answering additional emergency calls for help.
Contact Clark PUD Powerline at 360-992-8000 for questions relating to or to report power outages.
To learn more about how we serve you, please explore our website. If you have additional questions you may email CRESA.
Remain calm and speak clearly. Provide the dispatcher with the following information.
While we ask these questions, we are entering the information into a computerized dispatch system. Other dispatchers can see that information and send help to you while we are still talking to you on the phone. Answering questions does not delay response. We will often keep you on the phone and obtain more information to give the responders. For example, it often helps the paramedics on the ambulance to know what kind of medication the patient takes every day. The patient might have a breathing problem that is unrelated to the medication, but that information will improve the quality of the care paramedics can provide. Please remain on the telephone to provide additional information as requested by the dispatcher. Do not hang up until the dispatcher advises you to do so.
Community members can call 311 or 360-693-3111 to reach the same 911 dispatchers regarding non-emergent law enforcement calls. This line will help prioritize incoming calls at the 911 center and keep 311 open for emergencies.
When you call 311 you may be placed on hold or you may be placed in a queue. You may hear a recorded message with information about alternative numbers or resources you may use instead of waiting for a dispatcher. CRESA is a busy place, serving as both the 911 answering point for all of incorporated and unincorporated Clark County and is also the dispatch center for local law enforcement and fire/emergency medical services (EMS) responders. Please be patient, as the same people answering 911 emergency calls and dispatching responders are the same people answering 311.
A few guidelines to follow when you decide if you want to call 911 versus 311:
If you are unsure, call 911 and we will get you the right help or refer you to the right resource.