24 Interesting Facts about 911 Emergency Calls

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published June 28, 2017Updated March 31, 2025

Over 70% of 911 calls in the United States are placed from wireless phones, and the rate is increasing._[2]
The telephone number 911 is for emergency calls in North America. To use it for any other type of calls, such as a prank call, could be considered a crime._[1]
Some Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) report that 15%–20% of incoming 911 calls are non-emergencies. An emergency is a life-threatening situation where every second counts, such as a heart attack, uncontrolled asthma attack, child birth in progress, any event involving large amounts of blood, uncontrolled fire, a life-threatening event such as a knife fight, an armed robbery in progress, or a serious car accident (not a fender bender)._[3]
Dialing 911 quickly connects a caller to a nearby Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatcher who is trained to route a call to local emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement agencies._[5]
The world’s oldest emergency phone number is the U.K’s 999 number that was introduced on June 30, 1937. It was implemented after a call to the fire brigade was held in a queue with the telephone company. The delay cost five women their lives in the fire._[9]
The first arrest due to an emergency call happened on July 8, 1937, at 4:20 a.m. when the wife of John Stanley Beard dialed 999 to report a burglar outside her home in England. The burglar, 24-year-old Thomas Duffys, was arrested._[9]

Over 70% of 911 calls are from cell phones

For many Americans, the ability to call 911 is the primary reason they own a cell phone._[5]
In 1996, a teenager in Sweden hacked into a Southern Bell computer system. He created a computer code that made simultaneous 911 calls to several counties in Florida. He managed to jam several 911 switches._[5]
Both Puyallup, Washington, and Nome, Alaska, claim to be the first 911 center west of the Mississippi. Nome reportedly implemented their 911 system in February 1968. Puyallup implemented their system later that year._[10]
A woman in Deltona, Florida, was arrested after she called 911 four times to complain about a nail technician. Even with a police deputy sitting next to her, she still called 911 to complain that her nails were too short._[4]

A woman called 911 to complain her nails were too short

The first California 911 system was installed in the city of Gustine in Merced County in March 1970. The first Texas 911 system was installed in Odessa a month later._[10]

Emergency call systems were overloaded on September 11 (danhowl / iStock)

On September 11, 2001, so many people in the NYC area called 911 simultaneously about the planes flying into the World Trade Center that the local networks crashed. No calls could go through because the switches couldn’t handle the overwhelming traffic._[5]
In most areas, households and businesses pay a small monthly fee for 911 service on their phone bill. There is no charge for calling 911, though any EMS or ambulances dispatched through 911 may charge for taking someone to the hospital. That is a separate charge, not a 911 charge._[5]
A person should not call 911 for any of the following: 1) for information, 2) for directory assistance, 3) just to talk, 4) paying for traffic tickets, 5) for a pet emergency, or 6) as a prank._[1]
If someone calls 911 by mistake, he or she should not hang up. Rather they should let the dispatcher know what happened so they know there really isn’t an emergency._[1]
Over 240 million calls are made to 911 in the U.S. each year._[2]

Over 240 million calls are made to 911 in the U.S. each year

Enhanced 911, or E 911, is a system that routes an emergency call to the appropriate 911 answering point, or PSAP, for the caller’s location AND automatically displays the callers phone number and address. In most cases, the phone number and location information is available from cell phones._[1]
Senator John McCain’s brother, Joe McCain, allegedly called 911 wanting to know why traffic was backed up on his side of the street and not the other side and then hung up. After the 911 dispatcher called and left a message on his machine indicating that abusing 911 could be a criminal matter, McCain called back and complained about the message. The officer replied: “911 is for emergencies only, not just because you’re sitting in traffic.”_[4]
A 58-year-old Florida woman was accused of using 911 twice to solicit sex. When an officer initially arrived, she said there was no emergency and instead grabbed the officer’s arm and rubbed his chest. Police left her with a warning, but when she later made another call, she was promptly arrested._[6]
In 2012, Joshua Basso of Dover, Florida, allegedly dialed 911 repeatedly and requested female officers to come to his house to have sex with him. That same year, Clyde Hobbs called 911 in Oklahoma at least 17 times in one day in order to talk dirty to female officers._[8]
In 2012, Orlando police released 911 transcripts of calls made by an angry restaurant manager who found two patrons having sex on an outside table in front of horrified parents and children. Ultimately, the couple avoided arrest because none of the parents wanted to make a statement._[7]

"Swatting" is never a good idea

“Swatting,” or calling 911 to get the SWAT team to someone’s house for a bogus crime, is dangerous and can get the prank caller arrested._[10]
A man called 911 to complain that he was stuck in a hot tub. He requested some hot chocolate, marshmallows, and a hug._[4]
Technically it isn’t possible to hack into the national 911 network sincere there is no national 911 network. All networks are local networks. While it is possible to disable a local network, no one has ever gotten into the computers at a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)._[10]