Making a 911 call for help sounds simple, but if you’ve ever had to do it during a true emergency you know that stress, anxiety and confusion can get in the way, especially if you are the person experiencing the emergency.

Once you’ve determined the need, the most important thing to do is to identify your location. Learn how to get location coordinates from a mapping app on your phone or better yet, how to drop a pin — which means marking your location on an electronic map.  

“Location is everything. If we don’t have that, we don’t have anything,” said Trina Dummer, deputy director for Summit County’s 911 dispatch center. 

But can’t dispatchers get your location from the 911 call? There are several sources of location identification available to dispatchers. Coordinates can come from cell phone pings on the nearest tower, so they can give a general idea of your location not specific enough for rescuers to find you efficiently. Coordinates may also ping from the nearest tower but give the actual location you are calling from, although these coordinates are estimated by some dispatchers to be accurate only about 80% of the time. Also, it is not always possible for dispatchers to get these coordinates because sometimes the call doesn’t last long enough.  

Sometimes, if you know your exact physical location according to well-known landmarks, a description might actually be faster than relaying coordinates. For example, “I’m at the end of the trail to Lily Pad Lake, right at the lake shore,” or, “I’m on the summit of Sneffels” can be ways to tell rescuers where you are located.

Now it’s time to make that call. Take a breath. If you’re in a group, do a check of everyone’s cell phone battery levels and use the phone that has the best battery life.  

After you’ve given your location, one of the next items you should communicate is your phone number. “Usually we can see that, said Dummer, “but sometimes the phone goes into emergency mode and then all we can see is a call to 911. If we lose connection, we can’t call you back.”

Dispatchers will typically then begin to ask a series of “W” questions. Protocols vary slightly from one dispatch center to another, but there are many standard questions. Amber Lillard of WestCO Emergency Communications in Montrose summarizes, “What’s your emergency? When did it occur?  Who was involved? What caused the injury? What trailhead did you leave from, what was your destination, what landmarks did you pass along the way?” Other questions might include your elevation, how many people are in your party, what the group is carrying, what the weather conditions are and what level of backcountry experience everyone has.  Taking just a few seconds before you dial to rehearse answers to these questions in your mind is important. It will help the call go more smoothly, ensure greater accuracy of your information and likely save time in the end. 

Samantha Goda with Jeffcom 911 in Jefferson and Clear Creek Counties talks about the important distinction between a medical call and a call that might involve scene safety considerations.  “Essentially, we assess what type of backcountry rescue situation we’re looking at and then, if it’s determined that the call is relating to a medical issue or injury without any additional extenuating complications, we address the injury or illness. But the primary concern is always scene safety first.  For example, we want to make sure callers aren’t in position to trigger a secondary avalanche or rockslide while providing medical attention.”

What if you don’t have enough cell phone reception to make a call?  First, make sure to attempt it even if it looks like you don’t have reception through your carrier, because 911 calls may jump to another carrier’s network. If that doesn’t work, be aware that 911 dispatch centers can receive text messages also. “We prefer a phone call, but sometimes it’s not possible,” said Dummer.

Once the call is made, the dispatchers may patch your call along to the local search and rescue team, or a representative will call you to gather more detailed information. Staying put is one of the most important things the caller can do, assuming the caller is on the scene of the emergency. Moving to another location will cause rescuers to have to search for you.  

Your 911 call might not really be “perfect,” but following these guidelines will ensure you’ve done everything you can to help rescuers get to you as quickly as possible. 

Anna DeBattiste is a volunteer public information officer with the Colorado Search and Rescue Association and a former public information officer with Summit County Rescue Group. The Colorado Search and Rescue Association provides advocacy, resource coordination, member education and collaboration forums for backcountry search and rescue teams and other partners across the state.