I am a 911 Dispatcher, ask me anything.

[Anonymous]

I live in a condo without a landline. I always wonder if I ever need to call from my cellphone during a true emergency and let's say for some reason I am unable to communicate where i am. Is there a way for you to quickly find out where I am calling from or what address my cell is registered to?

[Anonymous]

I called 911 from a cell phone once, and they came to my door. Domestic dispute.

[Anonymous]

How do calls to the non-emergency number work? Are they handled by the same dispatchers, but it just gets put behind any 911 calls in the queue?

What if a 911 call comes in while the person is already handling a non-emergency call? Does the non-emergency caller get put on hold?

[Anonymous]

Whenever I have witnessed or been part of a car accident (even when I am driving down the road and see one), I call 911. Is that the right resource? Or when should we call a non-emergency number for something like that?

[Anonymous]

OP here: Calling 911 from a cell phone is hit or miss depending on where you live. Where I worked in VA we had whats called E911 or enhanced 911. WE could tell roughly where your call was coming from. If you are in a condo it would just show the building though, not the specific unit. Or if are in an area without this service then we just know what cell tower you are close to. There is a jurisdiction in MD with a small dept that doesnt have E911. I think its crazy. Everywhere should have it.

The same people answer the phones, If someone is on the phone already, someone else gets the next one. If its really busy due to some type of disaster or major traffic issue then non emergency people get put on hold.

If its not life threatening you can call the non emergency number, car accidents with no injuries would be a non emergency. You can find out the number online for where you live and program it into your phone as a contact.