3-1-1 facts for kids

3-1-1 is a special telephone number used for non-emergency call to municipal services. It is used in several cities in Canada and the United States. 3-1-1 was created to receive many of the calls which commonly were made to 9-1-1 which were common questions and not emergencies.

Availability

United States

3-1-1 is available in several major American cities, including: Akron, Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Mobile, Nashville, New York City, Rochester, Orlando, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, Somerville, and Washington, D.C..

Canada

The service is available in the following communities (with starting date):

• Calgary, Alberta (18 May 2005)
• Gatineau, Quebec (22 June 2005)
• Windsor, Ontario (22 August 2005)
• Ottawa, Ontario (19 September 2005)
• St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (27 June 2006)
• Fort St. John, British Columbia (14 November 2006)
• Greater Sudbury, Ontario (12 February 2007)
• Laval, Quebec (3 October 2007)
• Montreal, Quebec (mid-December 2007)

Other Canadian municipalities are expected to use 3-1-1 in the near future. These include Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto.

Images for kids

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  A LinkNYC kiosk in New York City, advertising the city's 3-1-1 system.