Westchester County Department of Emergency Services

2-1-1 serves as a confidential, comprehensive and primary entry point into community service information, referral and assistance. The service is available 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day of the year with translation services available in over 200 languages. 2-1-1 resources are accessible 24 yours a day through the 2-1-1 Web site at www.hudson211.org.

If your situation is of a life-threatening nature, however, call 9-1-1.

2-1-1 offers information, referral, assessment and crisis support for health and human services to callers, helping them find the assistance they need to address the everyday challenges of living as well as those that develop during times of disaster and other community emergencies.

2-1-1 handles all calls of generic nature, unless the caller is in a life-threatening situation and in that case, the 2-1-1 specialist will involve 9-1-1. When a call comes into 2-1-1, the specialist will explore the needs with the caller and provide the services listed below:

• Provide information as needed
• Assess and prioritize caller needs
• Research appropriate referrals and provide caller with a target of at least three referrals to health and human service providers
• Document caller characteristics, needs and referrals made
• Provide follow-up calls as required or necessary
• In addition to its core services of comprehensive information and referral, the 2-1-1 Hudson Valley Region also provides specials services through collaborative agreements with other agencies

2-1-1 Hudson Valley is a service of the United Way, community and government partners serving the seven counties of the Hudson Valley. The United Way of Westchester and Putnam serves as the lead agency. For more information, visit www.hudson211.org.

In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number immediately from any wired or wireless phone.

An emergency is any situation that requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance. Examples include:

• A fire
• A crime, especially if in progress
• A car crash, especially if someone is injured
• A medical emergency, such as someone who is unconscious, gasping for air or not breathing, experiencing an allergic reaction, having chest pain, having uncontrollable bleeding, or any other symptoms that require immediate medical attention

Let the call-taker determine whether it's a true emergency
If you’re not sure whether the situation is a true emergency, officials recommend calling 9-1-1 and letting the call-taker determine whether you need emergency help.

When you call 9-1-1, be prepared to answer the call-taker’s questions, which may include:

• The location of the emergency, including the street address
• The phone number you are calling from
• The nature of the emergency
• Details about the emergency, such as a physical description of a person who may have committed a crime, a description of any fire that may be burning, or a description of injuries or symptoms being experienced by a person having a medical emergency

Remember, the call-taker’s questions are important to get the right kind of help to you quickly.

Be prepared to follow any instructions the call-taker gives you. Many 9-1-1 centers can tell you exactly what to do to help in an emergency until help arrives, such as providing step-by-step instructions to aid someone who is choking or needs first aid or CPR.

Finally, do not hang up until the call-taker instructs you to.

If you dial 9-1-1 by mistake, or if a child in your home dials 9-1-1 when no emergency exists, do not hang up—that could make 9-1-1 officials think that an emergency exists, and possibly send responders to your location. Instead, simply explain to the call-taker what happened.

To learn more about the 9-1-1 system, visit 9-1-1 for Kids or the NG9-1-1 Institute.