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About 911 Emergency Services
All calls to 911 in Indian Head Park are answered by professional dispatchers who are managed and administered by Cook County's E-911 Dispatch Center. Indian Head Park has contracted with the dispatch consortium through an Intergovernmental agreement.
For additional information about Southwest Central Dispatch, please visit the Cook County E-911 Dispatch Center's Website.
More Information
For additional information about Southwest Central Dispatch, please visit the Cook County E-911 Dispatch Center's Website.
Making a Call
When you call 911 you will be asked the type of emergency by the Dispatcher. In the case of police emergency, the call is transferred to the Indian Head Park Police Department for dispatching. For fire or ambulance needs, the call is transferred to Pleasantview Fire Protection District for dispatching.Using a Landline
Whenever possible, use your landline to place 911 calls. This is the most expedient way to get emergency services, and every second counts.
Landline 911
When 911 is dialed from a landline phone at a home or business, the caller's location and phone number are automatically sent to that location's Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). This allows the 911 call taker to dispatch police, fire or EMS to the caller's location, even if the caller cannot communicate with the 911 call taker.
Cell Phones & The Dispatch System
When you use your cell phone to dial 911, the dispatch system may not send your call to your local dispatch center and your call may be transferred. The dispatch system is also not able to determine your exact location and cell phone number, which can cause significant delays in obtaining emergency services. If you have an option, use a landline from your residence or location.
Wireless 911
A wireless 911 call is processed differently than a landline 911 call.
- When a wireless 911 call is made from a cell phone, that call is transmitted to the nearest cell tower.
- The cell tower then sends that call via landline to the PSAP that is designated to receive 911 calls from that area.
- The wireless 911 caller must be aware that the PSAP that answers the call may not be the PSAP that services the area that the wireless caller is calling from. Knowing the location where emergency services is needed is vital to getting the appropriate police, fire or emergency medical services (EMS) units to respond.
Issues With Wireless Calling
Issues arise when the nearest cell tower is in a different police, fire or EMS jurisdiction or different county than the one that the wireless 911 caller is calling from. This 911 call will be transferred to the correct PSAP. This could be a life-threatening issue due to the lost response time if the caller is unable to communicate where the emergency is.Helpful Hints
- Know and provide your cell phone number to the 911 call taker.
- Provide an accurate address when making a wireless 911 call.
- Give an exact street number and street name, if possible, or the closest intersections.
- Provide a business name or landmark if the address is not known.
- It is important to remain calm while on the phone so the 911 call taker can understand you.
- Do not become irritated if your call is transferred to another PSAP and you are requested to repeat information you may have already provided to the previous 911 call taker. When you use your cell phone for 911 emergencies you are likely to experience delays.
- Do not hang up until your call is answered and the information you have is correctly relayed to the 911 call taker.