While trying to make a long distance call from my office, I got 911 by mistake. Why?

The office telephone equipment probably requires dialing 9 to get an outside line. When you hit 9 to get the outside line and then 1 for long distance, two things could have occurred; either the 1 key was held down too long or accidentally hit twice.


Important Information

If you work in a building that requires 9 to get an outside line, you may need to dial 9 and then 9-1-1 in an emergency and you need to know what the physical address is of your location.Often businesses have a main switchboard, or are spread among different buildings on the same telephone system and only one address is associated with the business phone number. If you work in this environment, make sure to ask your employer and know:

  • What do I need to dial to get 911 in an emergency?
  • What is the physical address of the building I work in?


Many business phone systems display only the main business mailing address and not the actual location of the telephone being used to call 911. The 911 call taker will ask you to identify or verify your location.

Show All Answers

1. While trying to make a long distance call from my office, I got 911 by mistake. Why?
2. What should I do if I call 911 accidentally?
3. Who pays for 911?
4. If I dial 911 from my cell phone, will the call taker know where I am?
5. What if I don't know where I am calling from or can't speak, will the 911 call taker know where I am?
6. If I need to report a crime but it is not an emergency, should I still call 911?
7. Will I get an immediate response from the public safety agency if I call 911?
8. The 911 call taker asked for my address on a call. I thought they got the location information automatically. Doesn't that waste time to ask for it again?
9. I have a relative who is deaf and uses a special kind of phone, will it work with 911?