IN Brentwood-Baldwin-Whitehall Fall 2023 | Page 63

9-1-1 : NOT JUST FOR EMERGENCIES

It is common knowledge that throughout the United States , if you need firefighters , paramedics , or police assistance at your location , you can get through to someone at any time by dialing three simple numbers : 9-1-1 . This basic emergency number was originally introduced in the United States in 1957 to easily dispatch firefighters to people in need of help . With those three numbers having never been used as an area code and being short , sweet , and easy to remember , over half of the country was already using the 911 system by the 1980s , and it has only grown since then . Today , 111 of the 130 municipalities in Allegheny County use the 911 system for its convenience and ease of use by the public .

In 2006 , Brentwood Borough ’ s police department transitioned to the use of Allegheny County ’ s 911 system rather than having residents call in directly to the police station . This transition had several benefits for the department : it ensured adequate documentation and response for all emergency and non-emergency calls , freed up resources and people in the department to allow the police to expand their services , and ensured that dispatchers were always available to answer calls 24 hours a day and 7 days a week . Our local police department number is available for informational inquiries , but for all emergencies residents will need to call 911 .

Despite being frequently touted as an emergency service dispatch , 911 is also frequently used for non-emergency calls too . This is because the dispatchers can easily document the calls and provide the location and call information to the required agency . With the transition to the 911 system , the Brentwood Borough

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police department does not dispatch officers directly from our police station to a location for a response because , since 2006 , we no longer have dispatchers to do so . Instead , we have a police clerk at the station to assist with walk-in inquiries , police reports , and other associated items . Any calls that can be directed to the police , such as barking dogs or illegally parked cars , can be called in to 911 to have an officer dispatched to respond to the call .

Understandably , calling 911 for something minor may alarm some people . A lot of people were told as children that they should never call 911 unless there is a real emergency . They may feel like they are taking away response time for a “ true emergency ” or that they are doing something wrong by calling in something that constitutes a “ nuisance ” rather than something of significance . This is actually not the case ! The Allegheny County 911 Dispatch Center exists specifically for the purpose of connecting callers with these kinds of services , no matter how big or small the problem is . If all of our officers are on the road and someone needs a fast response , 911 is the best way to have someone sent out to deal with the problem , whatever it may be .

With this in mind , please also make sure to call 911 if you have something occur that needs a response — whether you have an emergency or a non-emergency — in the evening or over the weekend . Our police station operates 24 hours a day , 7 days a week , but our informational inquiry line is only open from 7 AM to 3 PM on weekdays . Despite that , some people still leave messages on the informational inquiry mailbox for occurrences like burglary or theft expecting an immediate response from the station . If you have any occurrence that needs a police response , please call 911 as this is precisely what it is there for ! rentwood

CITY BRIEFLY OF MCKEESPORT BRENTWOOD NEWS

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Save the Dates !

LIGHT UP NIGHT - SATURDAY , DEC . 2

SENIOR CITIZEN HOLIDAY LUNCHEON WEDNESDAY , DEC . 20

BRENTWOOD-BALDWIN-WHITEHALL ❘ FALL 2023 61