Chatham County's 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center is certified by the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch.  This certification allows the telecommunicator to use standardized questioning to gather pertinent information about a fire emergency and to provide safety instructions to the caller while the corresponding Fire Department Units are enroute to the scene.  Certain questions are requested of the caller to provide vital information to the units responding to the call.

When calling 9-1-1 for a fire emergency, the telecommunicator will ask the follow questions:

What's the address of your emergency? What's the phone number you're calling from?              What's your name? Okay, tell me exactly what happened. Are you at that location now?

 These questions serve as a starting point to assist the telecommunicator in selecting the appropriate protocol for each call for help.  Examples of different protocols include fire alarms, electrical hazards, fuel spills, gas leaks, motor vehicle collisions, brush/grass fires, structure fires, vehicle fires, and water rescues.  After the telecommunicator selects the appropriate protocol, they will continue with specific questions related to that call type and provide safety instructions to the caller.  These questions and safety instructions DO NOT slow down the response of the dispatched fire units.

Links For Emergency Fire Dispatch