As a parent, you never want to think about a time when your child might need to call 911. But instructing your child on how to call for help is something every parent should do.

“When you’re teaching your child his ABCs, you should also be teaching him how to say his full name, street address, and phone number,” says Richard Bradley, MD, chief of the Division of EMS and Disaster Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. “We want children to know this if they have to call 911.”

Even a 3-year-old can understand the concept of 911. “Young children know what a police officer, a firefighter, and an ambulance are there for,” says Dr. Bradley, “and you can explain that you call 911 only when you need a police officer, a firefighter, or an ambulance.”

Dr. Bradley suggests practicing with your child — with the phone unplugged, of course — and practicing on a landline only. That’s because landline phone numbers automatically come up on an emergency call center’s computer screen with a physical address, which is not the case with cell phones. With cell phones, only the number comes up — the caller has to provide the physical  address of where the emergency is located.

When practicing with your child, ask the questions call center operators would ask: 

• What’s your emergency?
• What’s your full name?
• Can you verify your address?

It’s a good idea to tell your child what’s considered an emergency, like when people aren’t responding, aren’t breathing, are unable to help themselves, in great pain, or have asked you to call 911.

False Alarms

Sometimes  kids call 911 by accident, so you should also prep your child for what to do if this happens. Explain that even though it was a mistake to call, your child should stay on the phone to tell the operator it was an error. “Once the call is captured, if the 911 center can’t make voice contact with  the caller, the dispatcher will either call back or send someone out to your home,” says Dr. Bradley. And you wouldn’t want the police and emergency medical services to come out unnecessarily when someone with a real emergency might need them.