911

Perry County 911

911 is the universal emergency number in the United States that connects callers to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatcher. The dispatcher is trained to route the call to local emergency services, such as fire, law enforcement, and medical agencies. The emergency call-taker’s first responsibility is to determine if the call is a true emergency, such as a fire, crime, or injury.

The Perry County 9-1-1 staff includes full-time, part-time, and contingent (on-call) Emergency Service Telecommunicators (ESTs). The office is staffed 24 / 7 / 365 , during Level 3 Snow Emergencies, during power outages, flooding – there is always EST coverage in the 9-1-1 center.

The Perry County 9-1-1 office is not here just for you to call when you have an emergency. The office maintains a Facebook page where weather advisories, snow emergencies, road conditions, and more are posted.

Visit the 9-1-1 Facebook Feed

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I call 911?

You witness a car accident.

When a friend / relative / neighbor is:

• having chest pains
• difficulty breathing
• unconscious

Calling 911 is appropriate in ANY medical emergency.

You witness violence happening or is about to happen, domestic or otherwise
You see a fire.
You observe suspicious activities.
Any situation that seems like an emergency.

When should I NOT call 9-1-1?

9-1-1 is not a resource for general or weather-related questions such as:

• Are schools closed?
• Is there a snow emergency?
• Is there severe weather coming?
• When the power goes out, unless you have electric powered medical equipment
• When your pet disappears
• When your water pipes burst
• When you lock your keys in your vehicle, unless a child or pet is in the vehicle and there are extreme weather conditions

Where can I call for information about weather emergencies and school closures?

Call 2-1-1 for information about weather-related emergencies and school closures.
Information may also be posted at the Perry County 9-1-1 Facebook page.

Never Prank Call 9-1-1

In Perry County it is against the law to make prank 9-1-1 calls. It’s a prank call when someone calls 9-1-1 for a joke, or calls 9-1-1 and hangs up. If 9-1-1 lines or ESTs are busy with prank calls, someone with a real emergency may not be able to get the help they need.

Accidental Calls to 9-1-1

Unfortunately 9-1-1 call centers receive thousands of accidental dials to 9-1-1. Accidental calls, also called “pocket dials,” cause a delay in service to 9-1-1 calls for real emergencies. It is a huge problem, and causes an unnecessary burden on the 9-1-1 call centers. Often times, callers don’t even realize they have called 9-1-1. The 9-1-1 ESTs  hear music, people talking, and kids playing, etc. They can’t always tell if the call is for an emergency or not, so all hang up calls to 9-1-1 have to be called back.

Reminders about How to Avoid Accidental “Pocket” Dials to 9-1-1

• Be sure to “Lock it before you pocket” – Lock your cell phone so that it does not call 9-1-1 by accident.
• Do not hang up if you accidentally call 9-1-1. Be sure to stay on the line and tell the 9-1-1 Emergency Service Telecommunication that there is not an emergency to avoid being called back by a 9-1-1 EST.

Who do I contact to report a power outage?

Visit online outage reporting services at your electric service provider using a cell phone to enter your report. If you don’t know your provider, you can enter your address at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio website to confirm which provider is yours.

REPORT AN OUTAGE TO AEP
American Electric Power (AEP)

REPORT AN OUTAGE TO SCP: 
South Central Power (SCP)