Cherry City VFC, along with mostly all other Fire Departments, Police agencies and EMS services in Allegheny County, are dispatched by Allegheny County 9-1-1 in the Point Breeze section of the City of Pittsburgh
Calls come on 9-1-1 either from a home phone, or a cellular phone. The first question that the call taker will ask is “What is the address of your Emergency.” Be aware of your surroundings, what businesses you are around, what street you are on, etc. The next question that the calltaker will ask you is “What City, Township or Borough are you in” Because Allegheny County has 131 different municipalities, many street names have the same address ranges and it may be difficult to verify
where you are. Providing the correct municipality, such as Shaler, Millvale, Etna, etc. will get the help that you need as soon as possible without delay.
A land line 9-1-1 call will give the address and callback number of the residence. This information may or may not be correct, depending on how updated the phone company is with their records. The call taker will ask you to verify your address, to ensure you get the fastest help to you.
Cellular 9-1-1 calls are more difficult to process. There is no location identifier to tell the call takers where your exact location is. It is a good idea to know where you are, whether in front of an address, business, or intersection.
Don’t get frustrated when the call taker keeps asking you questions about what is going on… They are just doing their job, collecting enough information to ensure safety of responding units, as well as prepare the units for what they may encounter when they arrive on scene. The person taking your call in many times than not already gave the call to the appropriate dispatcher(s) after a few questions, and is just asking additional information while the units are en route. This does not slow their response. They are just getting you the best help available for your situation
