South Sound 911 provides FREE educational presentations about 911 and careers in 911 and dispatch for school classrooms, community organizations, and neighborhood groups.
The primary goal of our education program is to increase awareness of South Sound 911’s services and to better prepare our community to use those services appropriately. Additionally, community outreach efforts afford us the opportunity to solicit feedback and to identify service areas which may need improvement.
Community education is an especially effective tool for 911, but what makes our program unique is that South Sound 911’s educators are the ones who answer 911 calls, so they can offer insight and advice unlike others in public safety.
While 911 is a lifeline for people in an emergency, 911 is often abused. By teaching how to properly use 911, how 911 works when a call is answered, and by promoting alternative phone numbers (such as the appropriate non-emergency number), South Sound 911 will better serve the community. The faster a 911 call taker can answer an emergency call, the faster a person needing help will receive potentially life-saving police, fire or medical aid.
911 Community Academy
In fall of 2023, South Sound 911 hosted its first ever Community Academy, a FREE six-week course held on Tuesday evenings that was designed to provide an in-depth look at our 911 center operations. We look forward to bringing back the academy in fall of 2024, so be sure to follow our social media for registration information as soon as it opens!
Additional Resources
To request a group presentation or event appearance, please call or email the 911 Education Coordinator to schedule a convenient time with one of our CRT members.
Due to demand, we request approximately 3-4 weeks advance notice.
In the meantime, these resources may be helpful:
- Tips for Using 911 brochure
- Hotlines – A list of available phone, text, and online resources
- Infographic – What happens when you call 911 at South Sound 911
- Text-to-911 service in Pierce County
- South Sound 911 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- PSAs and other videos on South Sound 911’s YouTube channel
- Know your location! South Sound 911 can use what3words to help locate you during a 911 call.
911 information for the non-English speaker
National Emergency Number Association-produced videos for the Deaf, Deafblind, Hard of Hearing, and Speech Disabled for text-to-911 service: