9-1-1 System

The 911 System

The City of Burlington dispatch center has an enhanced 911 system that is part of a county wide emergency answering system. The Basic 911 system provides three-digit dialing, does not require a coin for pay telephones and consists of intelligent call routing to the appropriate dispatch center that handles the area from where the call is made. An Enhanced 911 system adds the ability to display the caller's address and telephone number on a monitor for the dispatcher's reference.

911 Misdials

Do not program 911 into your telephone's speed dial. You won't forget the number, and programming the number invites accidental dialing. If you dial 911 in error, DO not hang up the telephone. Instead, stay on the phone and explain to the dispatcher that you dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. If you hang up, police officers must be dispatched to the caller's address. This will needlessly take resources away from genuine emergencies.

Land Line Calls

Land line refers to the wired telephone system. All land line 911 calls originating in the City of Burlington are answered by the City of Burlington dispatch center. Emergency 911 calls from outside the City of Burlington are routed to the appropriate county emergency dispatch center.

Cell Phone Calls

All cell phone 911 calls are answered by a county dispatch center. Cell phone 911 calls go to the nearest open cell tower, which may route your call to a dispatch center other than your local center. All 911 dispatchers are trained to handle cellular calls and route them to the proper agencies. Stay with the call! Be sure to give the dispatcher all of the information requested. If you are unsure of the address from which you are calling, give as much information as you can about your location.

In Burlington you can also dial direct to any of the following numbers:

Fire or Rescue emergency: 911
City of Burlington Police: 262-342-1100