9-1-1 When should I call ... ?
9-1-1 should be used for all emergencies. Some examples of emergencies include:

• If you smell smoke or see fire
• To get help for someone who is hurt
• If you see someone getting hurt
• If you see a crime in progress
• If you're not sure you have an emergency

When a Foster City Police Dispatcher receives a 9-1-1 call, they immediately know where the call was placed from in most cases. In addition, the call can quickly be transferred to the appropriate agency, the Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), California Highway Patrol, or other allied agency. If the call is reporting a medical emergency, the EMS dispatcher can give life saving information over the phone as the ambulance is being dispatched.

Please program our seven-digit emergency number (650) 573-3333, into your cellular phone to report an emergency occurring within City limits.

For non-emergency calls, please dial our business number, 650-286-3300.

What happens when I dial 9-1-1?
Only emergency calls should be directed to the 9-1-1 telephone number. If you are calling from a regular telephone (non-cellular) in Foster City, the calls go directly to the Foster City Police Department's 9-1-1 dispatch center. Through the 9-1-1 equipment and our Computer Aided Dispatch system, the caller's address and telephone number immediately appear on the computer screen at the Police Department. The Police Dispatchers are highly trained individuals that are prepared for any emergency situation. These dispatchers need to get specific information from you when you call 9-1-1. This information lets the dispatcher know what kind of response is required to the emergency (police, fire, paramedics, etc.)

• We will ask you what happened and where did the crime occur.
• We will ask you if anyone is injured, and if the injured person is in the same location.
• If the injured person is at a different address, we will want to know where they are.
• We will ask you if you know the people involved in the incident.
• We will ask you if there are weapons involved.
• We will ask you for a full description of the people involved in the incident.
• We will ask you for associated vehicle descriptions.
• We may ask you to stay on the phone with us until officers arrive.
• We may ask for your name and phone number in case we need to call you back. 

Why do the dispatchers ask so many questions?
Dispatchers are trained to try and get as much information as possible to best determine the nature of the problem. The information provided by callers can assist the officers in determining what they will need in order to keep others safe and out of harm's way.

Also, please realize that the dispatchers are trained to perform many tasks at once, and will often be dispatching emergency response units while they are talking to you. If they ask you to hold, it is because they are DISPATCHING HELP TO YOU. We immediately dispatch the appropriate emergency response for your problem along with 1 or 2 police officers.

Can I call 9-1-1 from a Cellular Phone?
Yes you can. Our agency accepts cellular 9-1-1 calls routed to us from the major cellular service providers. We would prefer that you use a regular (wired) telephone if possible, but if circumstances dictate that you use a cellular phone to call, you need to know the following:

• In Foster City, some 9-1-1 calls made from cellular phones may be routed to the California Highway Patrol Dispatch Center in Vallejo. This "selective routing" is handled by the various cellular providers based on where their equipment indicates you are calling from. If you are nearer a cellular receiver site that covers part of the freeway, you will most likely be routed to the CHP dispatch center. They will assess the incident and if warranted, will transfer the caller to the local police or fire department that has jurisdiction over the location where the incident is occurring. 
• If your call is routed to the Foster City Police communications center, our equipment will provide us with your cell phone number and (depending on your model of cell phone) an approximate location you are calling from.
• Having a secondary phone number programmed into your cell phone is a good idea!

(650)573-3333. This is the seven digit emergency number for Foster City.
It is answered at the police department communications center by our staff of highly skilled dispatchers; the same ones that answer your 9-1-1 calls made from regular phones located in Foster City. Please keep in mind that when calling 573-3333; no information about the phone number or location of the incident is automatically available to the dispatcher. Please use this secondary number only if the incident you are reporting is occurring within Foster City.

What if I call 9-1-1 by mistake?
If you accidentally dial 9-1-1 or hear the Dispatcher answer
"9-1-1 Emergency, How may I assist you?" please don't hang up. All you need to do is explain you have dialed the wrong number. The Dispatcher will confirm this with you by asking a few questions, to ensure you are safe and that there is no problem. If you do hang up without talking to a communicator:

• The dispatcher will try to re-contact you.
• If the phone line is busy, they will instruct an operator to break in on your conversation and request that you release the line for an emergency phone call.
• If the dispatcher can not re-establish contact, you will have company stopping in. It is our policy to send police officers when a 9-1-1 caller hangs up, and can not re-contact the caller.

Can you handle calls from hearing impaired or non-English speakers?
You bet we can! Our 9-1-1 center is equipped with a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (T.D.D.) This device will detect an in coming call from devices used by those with hearing or speech impairments and allows them to report an emergency via a keyboard device directly to a 9-1-1 dispatcher. The device is interfaced with the telephone system in our 9-1-1 center and will automatically alert the dispatcher of an incoming T.D.D. call. Our 9-1-1 communicators have been trained on the operation and use of the T.D.D.  Hearing impaired customers will not have to call a translation service in an emergency; they too can dial 9-1-1.

Foster City Police Department's 9-1-1 system is also set up to provide for people who speak foreign languages. We have set up a direct line to AT&T Language Line personnel that can interpret the caller's need for help. This is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.