The Bowser administration launched a campaign yesterday called “Make the Right Call,” which aims to educate the public about how to use 911 appropriately. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Heather McGaffin, director of the Office of Unified Communications (OUC), emphasized the value of maintaining the emergency number open in case of actual emergencies. Mayor Bowser said, “We are asking residents and visitors to help us keep the 911 system available for emergencies,” in a statement that DC.gov was able to record. Almost a quarter of the OUC’s over a million calls in Fiscal Year 2024 were non-emergencies, prompting the endeavor.
In order to prevent the system from becoming overloaded with unnecessary calls, OUC’s “Make the Right Call Campaign” attempts to actively educate people about what qualifies as an emergency. “By using 311 for non-emergencies, we can keep our 911 personnel focused on critical situations where immediate help is needed,” suggested Mayor Bowser. “Please do not let non-emergencies compete with real ones,” OUC Director McGaffin continued, echoing the mayor’s view. Only call 911 if there is an imminent threat to one’s health, safety, or property. According to DC.gov, these declarations support a more efficient utilization of the city’s emergency response services.
People are being educated by the DC government about typical misuses of the 911 line, including reporting lost or stolen property, parking enforcement calls, and noise complaints. Instead, the 311 assistance line should be contacted about these problems. In order to maintain 911 open for emergencies like crimes, fires, and medical issues, the intention is to urge locals and tourists to use the appropriate number for particular incidences.
Only in cases of imminent risk to one’s health, safety, or property should one dial 911. Call 311 and press 1 for police non-emergency if you have non-emergency concerns, such as past crimes or noise complaints. Additionally, 311 ought to be utilized for municipal services like parking enforcement and bulk pickups. The objective is to guarantee prompt and precise emergency responses, McGaffin said. The goal of these rules is to increase the effectiveness of the city’s emergency services.
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