blog home Personal Safety Make sure you have these important phone numbers at your fingertips

Make sure you have these important phone numbers at your fingertips

By John Singleton on February 17, 2023

When you have a question, you want to have the right phone numbers easily available. That’s why we at GibsonSingleton sent magnets listing local public service numbers to our neighbors in Gloucester, Mathews, and Middlesex counties.

These magnets contain non-emergency numbers for the local sheriff’s office, fire and rescue, Virginia State Police, Animal Control, the Virginia Department of Transportation, as well as Parks & Recreation, your local library, and Traffic/Bridge information.

If you didn’t receive your magnet, give us a call at (804) 413-6777 or just stop by our office to pick one up – we’re located at 4073 George Washington Memorial Highway, Hayes, VA. You can also print one out below.

Follow these links to a download printable version of your local non-emergency numbers here:

Gloucester County

Middlesex County

Matthews County

When should you call 911?

If you’re experiencing any type of emergency, call 911 immediately. Try to stay calm and let the operator ask you questions. Try to answer the questions as simply as possible and remember to stay on the line until the operator tells you to hang up.

Be prepared to answer the following types of questions when you dial 911:

  • What is happening?
  • Where is the incident occurring?
  • Who is involved?
  • Are any weapons involved?
  • Provide a physical description of the people involved.
  • Describe any vehicles involved, including license plate numbers if possible.

Also, don’t hang up if you dial 911 accidentally. Stay on the line, or answer your phone right away if they call you back. The police will be dispatched if 911 operators can’t confirm if an actual emergency is taking place.

What is an emergency?

An emergency is a dangerous situation that requires immediate action from a first responder, such as a firefighter, police officer, emergency medical technician, or another individual trained to respond to a crisis.

When you dial 911, you will be connected to an emergency operator who will determine if it’s an emergency.

What if I’m not sure?

Before you call, you can ask yourself these questions to determine if it is an emergency.

  • Has someone been injured?
  • Does someone need immediate medical care?
  • Is a crime taking place?
  • Is someone in danger?
  • Is there a fire?
  • Is there an immediate hazard?

Do your best to ensure it’s a real emergency before calling 911. When a 911 operator has to respond to a non-emergency call, valuable resources are diverted away from people who may be in serious danger.

Examples of 911 emergencies include:

  • A fire
  • Any situation in which someone requires medical attention quickly
  • A violent crime or sexual assault is occurring or just occurred
  • A crime is in progress, such as robbery, burglary, or assault
  • Someone is drowning
  • When there is an immediate concern for someone’s safety
  • An animal attack or wild animal on the loose
  • An active fight
  • A downed powerline

What are examples of non-emergency calls to the Sheriff’s Department or fire and rescue?

In many other situations, you may want to speak with the police or fire and rescue employees, but you know it’s not an emergency. That’s when you may need the non-emergency phone numbers for the police, firefighters, or other local government services.

Examples of non-emergency calls include:

  • Reporting a phone scam
  • Requests to fire and rescue for safety information or to schedule someone to help you develop a safety plan for your family
  • Asking about office hours or services provided
  • To report a possible hazard
  • Noise complaints
  • To report a crime that occurred in the past
  • To ask about parking violations
  • To report loose or barking dogs (animal control)
  • To leave a message for specific police personnel or other local government employees
  • To make a request for road repairs
  • To report a vehicle break-in when the suspect is already gone
  • To report graffiti or vandalism

Other government agencies that perform important services include parks and recreation, the library, and poison control.

Were you harmed by someone’s careless actions?

If you or your loved ones are ever harmed by someone else’s actions or carelessness, we are here to help you at GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys. We believe you shouldn’t have to pay your medical bills or lose wages. Our partners, Ken Gibson and John Singleton, consider it a calling to help accident victims get the money they need to put their lives back together.

We will serve you with extraordinary compassion because we’ve been there ourselves.

Call us today at (804) 413-6777 to learn more. We will meet with you for free to discuss all of your best options. If it makes sense for you to hire us, we offer a Zero Fee Guarantee, meaning we don’t get paid until you do.

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Community service

Prevention, empathy, and diligence are hallmarks of everything we do at GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys. Our community can see these ideals lived out in our work to prevent personal injuries from happening.

  • Safety Education
    GibsonSingleton launches a “Texts=Wrecks” campaign to reduce the number of people injured or killed by distracted drivers.
  • Annual Coat Drive
    During the fall, our team works to distribute coats to people in need in our community.
  • Hands-on Service
    John and Ken join the Gloucester Point Rotary Club in cleaning up the community.
  • Supporting Local Schools
    The Gibson family participates in Gloucester’s Botetourt Elementary Shuffle fundraiser.