Bryan Police Department
       103 North Beech Street Bryan, Ohio 43506
      419-636-4233    Fax: 419-636-1125  Emergency 9-1-1    

Dispatch Operations

Pictures of the dispatch center

  The Bryan Police department operates a 24 hour a day dispatch center. Using four full time and one part time police/fire dispatcher the police department dispatchers are always there for you.

  Any land line 9-1-1 call placed from within the Bryan City limits will be routed to our department. If your call is for a medical emergency the call will be transferred to the Williams County Communication Center. 

   In addition to dispatching Bryan police department and the Bryan Fire department our dispatchers will handle the city hall switchboard on weekends, after hours, and during the day when the regular city switchboard operator is not available. 

  Some of the other duties of the dispatchers include accepting bonds for the courts after court hours and the  filing of charges for all county law enforcement agencies after court hours.

Why does the dispatcher ask all those questions? 

Have you ever had to call 911 to report an emergency and wonder why they are asking you all those questions? When you are involved in an emergency situation you want to know that the police, fire and or/ambulance are coming. Once an address is obtained you can be sure that emergency vehicles are heading to that location even though you are still on the phone with the dispatcher. We do not wait until the call has terminated before sending help. 

What information should I be ready to report when I call for help? 

1. Where? - Where is this occurring?
2. What? - What is happening?
3. When? - Is this happening now?
4. Who? - Who is the victim, suspect, etc.?
5. Why? - Do you know why this is happening? 
6. Weapons? - Are there any weapons involved? 

Do's and Don'ts of 9-1-1

 Do not program 9-1-1 into your auto-dial telephone. You won't forget the number, and programming the number invites accidental dialing of the number. Also, please do not dial 9-1-1 to "test" your phone or the system. This needlessly burdens the dispatchers and system with non-emergency calls.

Dial 9-1-1 only for an emergency. An emergency is any serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding), any type of fire (business, car, building), or any life-threatening situation (fights, person with weapons, etc.). Most jurisdictions also urge citizens to use 9-1-1 to report crimes in progress, whether or not a life is threatened.

Do not dial 9-1-1 for a non-emergency. Instead, dial 636-4233 which is the  non-emergency telephone number. A non-emergency incident is a property damage accident, break-in to a vehicle when suspect is gone, theft of property (when suspect is gone), vandalism (when suspect is gone), panhandlers, intoxicated persons who are not disorderly, or cars blocking the street or alleys.

If you dialed 9-1-1 in error, do not hang up the telephone. Instead, stay on the line and explain to the dispatcher that you dialed by mistake and that you do not have an emergency. If you hang up, a dispatcher will call back to confirm that there is no emergency. 

If you are a cellular caller, your telephone number and location will not be displayed for the dispatcher's reference. You must be able to describe your location so emergency units can respond. Be aware of your current city or town, address, highway and direction, nearby cross-streets or interchanges, or other geographic points of reference.

Cellular 9-1-1 calls are frequently routed to a central Public Service Answering Point that could be many miles from your location. Be prepared to give the dispatcher your complete location---city or town, address or location, inside or outside, what floor or room, etc.

Don't hang up until the call-taker tells you to. Follow any instructions the dispatcher gives you, such as meeting the officers at the door, or flagging down the firefighters at the curb.

Pictures of the dispatch center

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