Most people are aware that dialing 9-1-1 connects the caller to people who can help in an emergency situation, but did you know that there are other N-1-1 numbers that provide callers with access to other services?
211 – Health and Human Services
2-1-1 is a free and confidential service that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service provides information and referrals to health, human and social service organizations in the U.S. and in some parts of Canada. Callers can get help with a variety of issues including finding affordable housing and child care to disaster relief and suicide prevention, as well as a number of other topics.
311 – Government and Non-Emergency Information
3-1-1 provides access to non-emergency municipal services in any given city. 3-1-1 acts as a nerve center for citizens to be able to access a variety of city services and was created in part to redirect ordinary questions and non-emergent community concerns from 9-1-1.
411 – Directory Assistance
4-1-1 is the telephone number for local directory assistance. Directory assistance is the phone service used to find out a specific telephone number and/or address of a residence, business, or government entity.
511 – Traffic & Weather
5-1-1 is a transportation and traffic information hotline initially designed for road weather information. Travelers can dial 5-1-1 on traditional landline telephones and from most mobile phones.
611 – Customer Support
6-1-1 is used to report a problem with telephone service, or with a payphone.
711 – Telecommunications Relay Service
7-1-1 is used for the Telecommunications Relay Service to translate from TDD for the deaf to speech, and vice versa. This service allows deaf people to converse with the hearing over the phone through an operator. Here in the U.S., every phone company is required to connect those who dial 7-1-1 to a TRS call center.
811 – Call Before You Dig
8-1-1 provides a universal national phone number to call before any excavation on public and private property. It was created as a safety measure that not only helps prevent damage that could interrupt telecommunications, but also the damaging of subterranean power lines, water mains, and natural gas pipes.
9-1-1- Emergency Services
In over 98% of locations in the United States and Canada, dialing 9-1-1 from any telephone will connect the caller to an emergency dispatch office—called a Public-Safety Answering Point. The dispatcher can send emergency responders to the caller’s location in an emergency. In approximately 96% of the U.S., the Enhanced 9-1-1 system automatically pairs caller numbers with a physical address, thus aiding responders in their ability to provide help to those in need.
