Call for Help! Teaching Kids About 9-1-1 & Emergencies

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 | 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Christina M. Votipka, Training Coordinator, Department of Interior, Las Vegas, Nevada

Participants of this session arrived eager to learn from Christina M. Votipka, Training Coordinator with the Department of Interior in Las Vegas. She was joined on stage by her two sons - or as she noted, her "test subjects" for her educational materials.

Votipka shared that a lot of her work began first as a mom. She is active on her children's parent-teacher association (PTA) board, where she learned what teachers have, want and need in terms of education for children about 9-1-1 and emergencies. It turned out, they don't have much and want anything and everything. When her agency saw the need, they supported her efforts to bridge these gaps.

She then gave an overview of how she approaches education in schools. The first step is defining what it is 9-1-1 does and who the people are who help when you call. The goal is to build understanding about the profession and trust in her and other public safety telecommunicators. For younger kids, she found that using an analogy to the children's show Paw Patrol is well-received and effective - when the public needs help, they call Ryder. Ryder determines which pup(s) are needed for the job and sends them out to help. Ryder is like a telecommunicator, taking the emergency call and dispatching help.

Next, she talks about how to use a phone in an emergency. Most likely, children will need to use a cell phone if they have to call 9-1-1. They are taught to dial the numbers, but are not often taught how to get past lock screens. She shows an iPhone and Android lock screens and teaches kids to "find the long word that starts with 'E' (emergency)" and that will allow them to make an emergency call.

Third, she teaches three steps to calling 9-1-1:

1. Is it an emergency? Votipka walks kids through the definition of an emergency, and plays a game where kids have to stand up if a scenario is an emergency.
2. Are you safe? She shares that if it is an emergency, children need to get to safety. She encourages a family meeting location where families can regroup in the event of an emergency.
3. Call 9-1-1! Votipka uses the Learn911 app to help kids practice calling 9-1-1. Prior to an event, she can pre-program a telecommunicator's cell phone number and the app allows kids to "dial" 9-1-1, which rings to that phone. The telecommunicator will answer the call just like they would if it were a real emergency.

At the end of events, she hands out a folder that children can take home and have their parents fill out with names, phone numbers, medications, trusted adults to call in case of an emergency, and a family safety plan. This can be kept in a central location and be provided to responders if needed.

Beyond 9-1-1 education, Votipka shared that she tries to find other safety messages to share with students. E-bikes, CPR and choking safety are all subjects she has taught in schools.

At community events, she brings a trifold with the steps to calling 9-1-1, the Paw Patrol analogy and information on how to unlock phones. She uses the scenarios to ask kids about emergencies before rewarding them with simple prizes like candy and trinkets.

Attendees shared ideas they use in their communities for education and engagement with kids, including magnets for phone numbers and addresses, mascots to build familiarity, using Baby Shark for CPR timing, expos similar to touch-a-truck events to expose kids to aspects of 9-1-1, and the NextGen Hero Project simulator for practicing 9-1-1 calls.

Written by Allison Heider