EMERGENCY CALLS
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From your cell phone, you dial 9-1-1 and when the call is answered you hear the words “California Highway Patrol”. The following information clarifies the process for routing 9-1-1 calls.
A 9-1-1 call from a San Ramon residence or business land-line goes to the San Ramon Valley 911 Communications Center. Not so for a cellular 9-1-1 phone call.
When you dial 9-1-1 from a land-line, the dispatcher will receive computer aided information such as police, fire and medical jurisdictions, telephone number making the call, and the address the call is being made from.
When a person calls 9-1-1 on a cell phone, the call is captured by the nearest cellular tower and directly routed to the nearest California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch center. In the San Ramon area, calls go to the CHP dispatch center in Vallejo. When a dispatcher receives a wireless 9-1-1 call, the only information the dispatcher normally receives is the cell phone number making the call.
The dispatcher will inquire as to the location of the caller and will transfer the call to the appropriate local dispatch center if needed.
If you make a cellular 9-1-1 call it is important to stay on the line and provide the dispatcher with the exact location of the emergency to ensure the help can be dispatched to the correct location. The CHP dispatch center in Vallejo received over 2 million cellular 9-1-1 calls last year. Some cellular users prefer to program their local police dispatch number into their cell phone to speed up the emergency process, and save the loss of time involved in the transferring of the call.
Cellular phone users in San Ramon can program (925) 973-2779 into their cell phones for direct contact with the San Ramon Valley 911 Communications Center.