“Listen with curiosity, speak with honesty, act with integrity.”
Orem Dispatch receives 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls for the cities of Orem and Lindon. In 2019, we handled over 157,000 calls, of which 99.37% were answered in under 10 seconds.
When fully staffed, we have 20 full – time dispatchers and approximately 10 part time and on-call dispatchers. We are certified through Utah Police Officer Standards and Training (POST), CPR certified, and Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certified through the International Academies of Emergency
Dispatch (IAED) and also through the Utah Bureau of EMS. We are also trained on multiple FEMA National Incident Management (NIMS) courses.
Calling Dispatch
Once you reach a dispatcher, he/she will ask you some questions to determine who to send. Answering
these questions does not delay a response, as there is another dispatcher sending help as soon as they
know an address and what is going on. Some of the questions you can expect are below.
If you accidentally dial 9-1-1, please do not hang up. We follow- up on every hang up call, so please just
stay on the line and tell us it was an accidental dial.
When do I dial 9-1-1?
Anytime there is an immediate threat to life or property, a crime is in progress, or a fire or medical
emergency is occurring. Otherwise, call our non-emergency number at 801-229-7070. Additionally,
although 911 is a nationwide number, we do not have the ability to transfer you anywhere in the nation.
Calls can be transferred to neighboring centers, but not out of state. It is imperative that if you are
outside the jurisdictional boundaries of the city that your emergency is in, please attempt to contact the
appropriate dispatch center for that jurisdiction so that help can be provided as quickly as possible.
Where is your emergency?
We need to know the location where the emergency occurred. Often, someone may call for a person at
another location. Dispatchers would like to know an exact address, but sometimes you won’t know that
information. If you are able, please provide a business, cross street or a block where help is needed.
The dispatcher will ask if you are at a business, house, or apartment. If you are in an apartment, they will
ask you if there is a building number or letter and the name of the apartment complex. The more
information you can provide, the faster responders will be able to locate the request for assistance.
What is your callback number?
We will ask to verify the phone number you are calling from, including the area code. This is in case you
and the dispatcher are disconnected for any reason, we can call you back and continue getting the
information needed to send help. Dispatchers do not rely solely on the information generated on their
9-1-1 screens, as that information is not always completely accurate.
Tell me exactly what happened.
We need to know about the problem for which you are seeking assistance. If you are able to provide
information that helps responders determine what type and level of response is needed, this assists in
properly processing the call. The dispatcher may ask for a license plate number, vehicle description,
person description, whether weapons or alcohol/drugs are involved. These are questions that will assist
responders as they arrive in the area. The dispatcher will often keep you on the call to obtain as much
information as possible to relay to responders.