In the meantime, you can call the local emergency number 223-1235 –– where all calls from land lines and cell phones go directly to the Sheriff’s Office and are answered by local office staff 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  After hours the line is set to roll over to the local 9-1-1 dispatcher. However, if you dial 223 -1235, your address will NOT be displayed as it will when you dial 9-1-1.  For non-emergency calls, 223-6500 is the regular County Sheriff’s Office phone line.  Marj Stuart of the Amador County Commission on Aging reminds viewers that when you call any of these numbers in an emergency, give the dispatcher as much information as possible. 

If you find out additional information later, relay it to the dispatcher as soon as possible. In circumstances where you cannot tell the dispatcher what your emergency is, dial 9-1-1 and leave the phone off the hook.  Your location will flash on the dispatcher’s screen, and a deputy will be sent to your address.  9-1-1 is the only line set up to trace the call through this nationwide system. 

In 2006, local dispatchers handled 8,208 9-1-1 calls.  Another 1,064 came in on the local emergency number, 223-1235.  Welfare checks were the response to 418 of these calls (these are non-emergency situations where deputies who respond bang on the door, check for vehicles, search the property, and try to talk with neighbors to verify the condition and location of occupant).  Officials remind residents to make arrangements to keep a friend/relative informed on how to safely enter their residence in an emergency and when they plan to be away for an extended period of time. Stuart says the Commission on Aging will include disseminating this and other useful senior safety information in its plan of action for 2008.