9-1-1 is the telephone number to call when you need immediate police, fire, lifeguard or medical assistance.

• What to Do Before Help Arrives
• What Happens When You Call 9-1-1
• What to Do When Calling 9-1-1

Call 9-1-1 for

• Crimes in progress
• Life-threatening situations
• Fires
  • Boat Fires
  • Canyon Fires
  • Rubbish Fire
  • Structures Fires
• Traffic accidents
• Emergency medical issues (see EMS)
• Hazardous chemical spills (see Hazardous Materials)
• Fire/smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarms that are sounding
• Explosive devices
• Elevator rescues
• Fuel spills (see Environmental Response Team)
• Natural gas leak
• Sparking electrical hazards
• Smoke in a building
• Aircraft emergencies (crashes, landing difficulties)
• Cliff rescues
• Electrical shorts
• Beach or water-related emergency
• Any other emergency. If in doubt, call 9-1-1.

Don't Call 9-1-1 for

Do not call 9-1-1 if you do not have a real emergency. Non-emergency calls to 9-1-1 can delay response to true emergencies.

• Reporting a leaking fire hydrant (call 619-515-3525)
• Inquiring about a large fire or other incident. Tune in local news or call 2-1-1
• Seeking information about a previous call
• Animals injured or trapped
• Snake removal (contact the County of San Diego Animal Control Department)
• Trees down in the street (contact Street Division)
• Beehives (contact a private removal company)
• Flooding of property (fire crews will respond if the flooding is caused by the City or if the flooding is causing a hazard)
• Other non-emergency incidents (find contact information in the Citizen Services Directory)
• If you are in doubt if your situation is an emergency, call 9-1-1.