Emergency!!! Who You Gonna Call?

By Kyrene Resel, NAS Sigonella Emergency Response Dispatch

“Quick! Someone call 9-1-1!” If you find yourself situation in which emergency services are required in the United States, you probably know exactly what to do: call 9-1-1. However, what do you do when you find yourself in an emergency in Sicily?

Similar to 9-1-1 centers in the United States, the Naval Air Station Sigonella (NASSIG) dispatch center is uniquely qualified to assist anyone attached to NASSIG with any kind of emergency, regardless of where you live.

Sigonella’s dispatch center should be your first call when you recognize an emergency situation, even if you are out on the economy. The emergency communications center is staffed around the clock by a mix of active duty, civilian and local national personnel who are trained to handle any kind of situation.

Just like in the United States, emergency situations in Sicily usually fall into two different categories: fire and medical emergencies or law enforcement emergencies. Each type of emergency requires different information and different responses.

Fire & Medical Emergencies: NASSIG dispatchers are trained to provide life-saving instructions to people experiencing a fire or medical emergency. They can assist in situations such as childbirth, choking, bleeding control, trauma, animal attacks, and just about every other kind of medical emergency. The NASSIG dispatchers are also trained to take calls for fire department emergencies, such as smoke in a building, gas leaks, flooding, and of course, fires.

Law Enforcement Emergencies: Whether you live in Marinai housing or out in town, any kind of law enforcement emergency or situation should be reported to the Emergency Communications Center first. Situations such as break-ins, theft, domestic violence situations, and traffic accidents are just a few examples of the situations which dispatch is prepared to respond.

One of the most common calls to the dispatch center is for traffic accidents. In the event you experience a traffic accident, within the triangle or “out in town,” the first thing you need to do is get yourself to safety and away from any traffic hazards. When you do call for help, the dispatchers will ask you for your location, your phone number, and what exactly happened. Next, they will ask for specific information such as injuries, damage to vehicles, descriptions of vehicles involved, and whether or not tow trucks are necessary.

When you call to report an emergency, the NASSIG dispatchers will coordinate security, fire and emergency medical services, the security liaison, Italian emergency services, the Carabinieri, and the hospital to provide a translator if necessary. One call to the emergency communications center can result in all necessary parties being notified so that you can focus on the emergency at hand to help put your mind a little more at ease.

The NASSIG dispatch team can also assist those attached to Sigonella who are in need of a tow truck, so don’t be afraid to call in the event something happens to your car or you become locked out of your vehicle. NASSIG dispatchers can also coordinate assistance if something happens to you while you are traveling in other countries while you are stationed here.

“Where is the location of your emergency?” is the most important question we ask. If you have been in Sicily for any length of time, you know that specific addresses are sometimes not easy to come by. So, it is essential to know where you are or know how to find out at all times, and the technology available on our cell phones can help answer that questions.

If you have Google Maps, press and hold the blue dot that appears when you open the app. This will cause your coordinates to appear at the top of the screen as well as additional location information if there is any available. If you have an iPhone, you can find your location by opening the Maps app or by opening the compass app and pressing the center of the compass. However, if you are living out in town, it is beneficial to have the GPS location of your residence saved on your phone or written down somewhere that is easy to find in the event of an emergency.

We also strongly encourage you to save these numbers in your phones or keep them written down nearby:

Emergency Numbers:

DSN: 624-1911, Off Base or from a Cell Phone: 095-86-1911 or 095-56-1911

Non-Emergency Numbers (past occurrence events or situations which do not require an emergency response):

DSN: 624-5225, Off Base or from a Cell Phone: 095-86-5225 or 095-56-5225

The NASSIG dispatchers have a wealth of resources on hand to provide you with the same level of care that you would receive in an emergency if you were stateside. It is important to have a conversation with your family about what “9-1-1” looks like here at Sigonella and make sure that everyone knows how to call the emergency numbers.

During your time at Sigonella, any kind of situation can happen in the blink of an eye, and you can rest assured knowing that NASSIG has a team of public safety dispatchers who work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to take care of our community.