Community awareness of emergency phone numbers

Knowledge of numbers to call for medical emergencies was compared among communities with three different call numbers: 1) 911; 2) regional seven-digit numbers; and 3) local seven-digit numbers. Correct responses were 85 per cent in the 911 communities; 47 per cent in areas with regional systems, and 36 per cent in areas with local systems. Persons living adjacent to a 911 area were more likely to believe 911 was the emergency number (28 per cent) than persons not adjacent to 911 areas (12 per cent).