Safety in America

Emergency Help: Call 911

In the United States, you can call 911 on any telephone to get emergency help.

Call 911 to:

• Report a fire.
• Report a crime in progress.
• Call an ambulance for emergency medical help.
• Report suspicious activities, such as screams, calls for help, or gunshots.

What Happens When I Call 911?

• Calls to 911 are usually answered within 12 seconds.
• You may be put on hold. Do not hang up!
• When the operator answers, there will be silence on the phone for several seconds. Do not hang up. Wait for the operator to speak.
• If you do not speak English, tell the operator what language you speak. An interpreter should come on the line.
• The 911 operator will ask you questions to find out what and where the emergency is. Keep calm and answer these questions. Try to stay on the phone with the operator until you answer all questions.

Keeping Your Home and Family Safe

Get ready before emergencies happen. Here are some things you can do to be safe:

• Be sure your doors have good locks and keep them locked at all times. Don’t give your door keys to strangers. Be careful about opening your door to strangers. Ask who they are and what they want before you open the door.
• Gun ownership: If you are legally allowed to own a gun (depends on you immigration status, federal law, state law and local law) learn how to use a gun responsibly and get one. In many states citizens are allowed to keep guns at their home and to carry concealed guns if they have a license.
• Smoke alarms make a loud noise when there is smoke in your house or apartment. Make sure you have smoke alarms on the ceiling near bedrooms and on each floor of your house. Replace the batteries in your smoke alarm twice a year. Check the alarm once each month to make sure it works.
• Find out where the nearest hospital and police and fire stations are located. Keep these important phone numbers (police station, fire department, and doctor) near your phone, where you can easily find them.
• Find the main valves for gas, electricity, and water in your home. Be sure you know how to turn them off by hand.
• Prepare a disaster kit that includes a flashlight, portable radio, extra batteries, blankets, a first-aid kit, and enough canned or packaged food and bottled water to last for three days. Also include trash bags, toilet paper, and pet food, if needed. Keep all these things in one place that is easy to find.

Tips

Here are some basic tips on keeping yourself safe from harm in the US:

• Don’t walk by yourself alone at night in deserted places, such as a park, side street, or parking lot, especially if you are a woman.
• Investigate crime-ridden neighborhoods and don’t go there, especially at night.
• Don’t ever trespass in other people’s properties (most states allow homeowners to own guns for protection)
• Don’t ever hitchhike or pick up a hitchhiker.

Yes, there are dangerous neighborhoods, gangs, drug dealings, and prostitution in the US. However, these activities are seen primarily only in bad neighborhoods. As long as you follow the above tips and avoid these bad neighborhoods, you will be able to have a safe and pleasant lifestyle, as most people do in the US.