Denver 911

The City & County of Denver has released a new 911 alert system to notify residents when there is an emergency.

Sign up to receive alerts by providing your contact and location information. You can choose to be notified via voice call, text message or email and can provide multiple locations. Once you opt into notifications, the system will send alerts based on the location information you have provided. You can update your location and contact information using the the alert management dashboard. You can also can opt out of the notifications by pressing '0' during a voice call or replying “STOP”, via text message. 

Sign Up to Receive Emergency Alert Notifications

Be smart about your safety

Over 90 percent of calls made to 911 come from mobile phones. While mobile phones can be an important public safety tool, they can also create unique challenges for emergency responders. 

When you dial 911 from a mobile phone, the 911 call taker has very little information to help you - only your phone number and a very general sense of your location. Denver's solution is Smart911.

Smart911 is a private, secure service that allows you to create a safety profile that provides 911 and emergency responders with important information you want them to know about yourself, your family members and pets, your home and your vehicles in any kind of emergency. The information you provide automatically displays on the 911 call taker's screen when an emergency call is placed from a phone number connected to your profile. These details can save seconds or even minutes during an emergency. 

Sign up For Smart 911 

Call if you can, text if you must

Text to 911 supports residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability. It can also be used when residents are:

• Unable to speak as a result of an injury or medical emergency
• Facing a threatening situation where a voice call could increase the threat or compromise safety
• In an area where a text message is the only option to request emergency services due to limited coverage
• In an area where phone lines and cell towers are overwhelmed and only a text can get through to request emergency services

How do I use Text to 911 and what information do I provide?

• Enter the numbers 911 in the “To” field - do not include dashes.
• Include the location of the emergency in the text and a brief summary of the situation. The most important information a caller can relay via phone or text is the LOCATION where help is needed (example: I’m at 1234 S Main St, intruder in my house).
• The Denver 911 call taker will reply to the text message with a series of questions. Answer the questions and follow the instructions provided to the best of your ability.
• Be as attentive as possible to the text message conversation with Denver 911 using short and timely texts.
• Do not use abbreviations or slang, as the meaning could be misconstrued and create a delay in the arrival of emergency services. 
• Stay engaged in the text conversation as much as possible and do not delete the message or turn off your phone until the Denver 911 call taker concludes the conversation. 

What else do I need to know about Text to 911?

• The Denver 911 call center can only receive and reply to Text to 911 texts and cannot initiate a text message conversation without the caller texting 911 first.
• If you attempt to send a text to 911 in an area outside of Denver where the service is not yet available, an automatic “bounce-back” message will be sent to your phone advising you to contact emergency services by an alternative means.
• If you accidentally send a Text to 911 please let the Denver 911 call taker know that emergency services are not needed.
• Only consumers who have purchased a text or data plan through their wireless provider can send text messages to 911. Text message rates apply.
• Text to 911 does not work with applications that do not support texting to and from U.S. phone numbers.
• Photos and videos cannot be sent to Denver 911 at this time.

911 services for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Residents with Speech Disabilities

In addition to TTY services, deaf, hard of hearing, and residents with speech disabilities can now text or email Denver 911 to report an emergency and non-emergency situations occurring in Denver and around the metro area.

Text 911: Enter the numbers 911 in the “To” field - do not include dashes.

• Include the location of the emergency in the text and a brief summary of the situation. The most important information a caller can relay via phone or text is the LOCATION where help is needed (example: I’m at 1234 S Main St, intruder in my house).
• The Denver 911 call taker will reply to the text message with a series of questions. Answer the questions and follow the instructions provided to the best of your ability.
• Be as attentive as possible to the text message conversation with Denver 911 using short and timely texts.
• Do not use abbreviations or slang, as the meaning could be misconstrued and create a delay in the arrival of emergency services. 
• Stay engaged in the text conversation as much as possible and do not delete the message or turn off your phone until the Denver 911 call taker concludes the conversation. 

Email: Denver911@denvergov.org

Be sure to text or email the following information:

• The location where help is needed 
• A summary of the situation
• A response to the information requested by 911 such as injuries and suspect descriptions
• Also, stay engaged in the text conversation as much as possible and do not delete the message or turn off your phone until the Denver 911 call taker concludes the conversation

TTY

TTY is an electronic device for text communication with individuals who are deaf. The device uses a series of tones that allow users to communicate via a keyboard and telephone interface at 911. Deaf and hard of hearing community members are encouraged to maintain a TTY machine to access 911 when a text pager or email is unavailable.

Denver's 911 call takers are trained on the use of the TTY and check all 911 hang-ups and “silent” phone calls or “open lines” using both voice and TTY commands to verify if a member of the deaf or hard of hearing community is on the line.