United States

Emergency numbers

Reviewed 2026-07-26

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer

Do this first

Dial 911. The call works from any phone in the United States, even a locked one. The dispatcher sends police, fire or EMS.

911 is the single number for police, fire and medical emergencies across the country. The dispatcher decides who responds, so you do not need to know which service you need. For a suicide or mental health crisis, 988 answers around the clock. Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 connects you to a poison control center.

Step by step

Say where you are first. Give the street address and city, the cross streets, a landmark or the location your phone shows. Cell calls do not always locate you precisely.
Say what happened in one sentence, such as a fall, a fire, a crash or chest pain.
Say how many people are hurt, and whether anyone is unconscious or not breathing.
Give your phone number. The dispatcher will use it to call back if the line drops.
Stay on the line. The dispatcher tells you when the call is over. If you dialed by accident, say so rather than hanging up.
Follow their instructions exactly, including starting chest compressions if they tell you to.
Send someone out to the street to wave the responders in, and unlock any doors and gates.

Never do this

Do not hang up before the dispatcher says you can, even after an accidental call.
Do not use 911 for questions that can wait. 311 handles city services in most larger cities, and 988 handles mental health crises.
Do not assume someone else has already called. Ask out loud and make sure.

Call emergency services if

Someone is unconscious, breathing abnormally or not breathing at all.
Chest pain, sudden weakness on one side, sudden confusion or trouble speaking.
Bleeding that soaks through dressings, a serious fall, a fire or a crash.

Common questions

Can I text 911?

In many counties, yes. Texting is the right choice when speaking would put you in danger, or if you are deaf or hard of hearing. Send the location first. Where text-to-911 is not available, you get an automatic bounce-back telling you to call.

Does 911 work without a signal from my carrier or without a SIM?

The call goes through on whichever network is available, yours or another. Phones without service can usually still reach 911, though the dispatcher may not be able to call you back, so say your number early.