EMERGENCIES can consist of many different situations, being: fire, medical, police, power outages, etc. It is best if you know who to initially report your emergency. Not all agencies can assist you with all different types.
If someone is in immediate, life-threatening danger.
When there is an immediate threat to property.
If you are in a situation that will lead to a threat to life or property.
If you or someone else is having a medical emergency.
When to call someone else
Power outages or other utility issues.
When you need a ride.
To find out if someone is in jail. Call 217.384.1243
Not sure if you need an ambulance? Try the patient advisory nurse first at 217.383.3323.
What should I do if I accidentally call 9-1-1?
Simply stay on the phone and explain to the 9-1-1 operator that you dialed in error. If you hang up, the 9-1-1 operator may have to dispatch police officers to your location. Staying on the line to let them know that your call was accidental will save time and keep the police officers available for emergencies.
METCAD 9-1-1 is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) serving Champaign County, Illinois. It is a consolidated dispatch center which was established in June of 1979 with 9 Telecommunicators and an Administrative staff of two. Today, METCAD answers emergency 9-1-1 calls for all of Champaign County. With a staff of 33 Telecommunicators, 3 Supervisors, 1 Operations Manager, 4 Technical Staff Members and 3 Administrative Staff Members, they provide direct dispatch service for all law enforcement and fire agencies through-out Champaign County.
The Champaign County Emergency Management Agency (CC EMA)
… is a department of Champaign County and is located in east central Illinois. Covering 1,001 square miles, the county seat is Urbana. Champaign-Urbana comprise the ‘metropolitan’ area with the University of Illinois located between the two cities. Rural Champaign County is made up of mostly agricultural areas mixed with several small towns. CC EMA works closely with METCAD.
“MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) in partnership with IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) has established a statewide, non-discriminatory mutual aid response system for fire, EMS, and specialized incident operational teams. Sharing the effort are representatives from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Department of Public Health – EMS Division, and Illinois Fire Chiefs Association.”
“As a MABAS member agency, your community has the same agreement as the 1,175 other communities – all agreeing to voluntarily send pre-determined resources, without reservation, to assist a stricken community. Without a formal written mutual aid agreement (such as MABAS,) a request for mutual aid assistance becomes a legal quandary.” (From their website)
What to do if your Carbon Monoxide Detector sounds…
DO NOT turn on any lights or electrical switches.
DO NOT open windows since that will “air out” the house and the responding unit will not be able to tell if it’s a false alarm.
VACATE the house and contact
9-1-1.
A Knox Box is a rapid access key lock box that is mounted on your home’s outside wall. With the owner’s permission, a key to the owner’s [front] door is securely placed inside the box. This allows the fire department access into the building if needed during a response.
Road Conditions
DO NOT CALL 9-1-1 TO ASK ABOUT ROAD CONDITIONS!
Road conditions and weather information are available through the National Weather Service and the Illinois Dept of Transportation.