WHERE? Where did the incident take place? Where are you? Where is the suspect? The most important W is where. We can’t send assistance if you don’t tell us your location. In some cases, the "where" information is all a caller can provide.

WHAT? What is happening? What type of assistance do you need? (Be specific.) While we need to understand what is going on, we don’t need the entire story. Save it for the emergency responder.

WHEN? When did the incident take place? (When did the incident happen? Is the incident still in progress? Did it just occur?)  When the incident took place establishes call priority. All calls are dispatched according to seriousness and time (when) the incident occurred.

WHO? Who is calling? Who is the suspect? Who is involved in the reported incident? This information determines the responding unit(s) the Call Taker will contact.

WEAPON? It is the responsibility of the Call Taker to determine, especially during volatile calls, if weapons are at the scene and involved in the incident. Identify the type of weapon (gun, knife, stick, bottle, etc.). Who has the weapon? (Give an accurate description of the weapon holder). Is the person still there? What is the relationship of all subjects involved in the incident?

DO NOT HANG UP! After all the questions have been asked and answered, remember to stay on the line with the 9-1-1 Call Taker unless it places you in danger to remain on the telephone.

As a caller, you form an important link  in providing crucial information for the responding units -- you are the eyes and ears at the scene and during the incident  If you hang-up before emergency responding units arrives, you break that link and your call, along with the 9-1-1 Emergency Center’s involved efforts., will be in vain.