The primary responsibility of DESC’s Public Information Office is to actively educate and promote the resources that are available to the people of New Hampshire in an emergency situation. The top priority for the Public Information Office is to educate the people of New Hampshire on dialing 911 when they have an emergency. While 911​ has been used as the statewide emergency number for over 27 years, DESC’s telecommunicators continue to encounter confusion among callers that can delay the delivery of emergency services. There are many misconceptions about 911 telecommunicators and the technology they use to send first responders to the caller’s exact location. As such, the DESC Public Information Office guides outreach efforts and proactively inform and educate the public.

DESC’s audience spans a broad range of demographics. With nearly 1.4 million people residing in New Hampshire and the additional millions of tourists who visit the state​ year-round, it is important for all who live in, recreate in, or visit New Hampshire to know how to get help when they have an emergency. From educating youth and teens about the 911 process, to informing business owners about AED requirements in NH, there is a message for all ages. In addition, DESC actively promotes programs that ensure access to emergency services for all, such as text-to-911 and Language Line translation for emergency calls (with over 240 languages), essentially guaranteeing 911 access for everyone. 

Outreach & Education Resources

School Visits

Does your student know their address? Know that you can text 911 in New Hampshire? Know that you can call 911 from a locked cell phone? Know when to call? Know what the most important information to convey to the 911 telecommunicator is? Our team loves collaborating with New Hampshire schools to educate students on the resources available to them in an emergency situation. Invite New Hampshire 911 to your school and spur your students to talk with their families about how they would access 911 in an emergency. To set up a visit, email DESCPIO@dos.nh.gov.

New Hampshire 911 PSAP (Call Center) Tours

Is your school, youth, or community group interested in learning all about the work that New Hampshire 911 telecommunicators do? Students were able to tour the building, one of the two Public Safety Answering Points - where 911 calls are answered for emergencies happening all over the State of New Hampshire. Our team will explain how telecommunicators provide medical help to callers over the phone and provide insight about the technology we use to locate your call. If your community or student group is also interested in seeing one of the locations where we answer nearly 470,000 calls a year, contact DESCPIO@dos.nh.gov.

Public Service Announcements

• Text to 911 PSA
• Know Your Location PSA
• How to Register Your AED PSA
• You Must Dial 10 Digits When Dialing in NH PSA
• 10-Digit Dialing Instructions (iPhone)
• 10-Digit Dialing Instructions (Android)

Newsletters

• Q2 2023 External Newsletter
• Q1 2023 External Newsletter
• Q4 2022 External Newsletter

Handouts

• Text to 911 Handout
• NH 911 CARES Handout

DESC In The News

• Text to 911 on WMUR
• Dave Hughes Life Save Celebration Ceremony
• Radio Interview on Good Morning NH with Jack Heath

Do you have further Questions?

Please do not hesitate to contact the Public Information Office via telephone during business hours at 603-271-6911, option 1 or by email DESCPIO@dos.nh.gov. If you are reporting an emergency always dial 911.