Ithaca College Hooks Up with 911 The 911 emergency telephone system was activated in Tompkins County-and on the Ithaca College campus --- on Sunday, August 3. The three-digit exchange can now be dialed on any campus phone to reach the Office of Campus Safety for all police, fire, and medical emergencies. The on-campus non-emergency number is 3333 or 4-3333. Under the new system, on-campus callers using telephones with 274 or 375 prefixes will reach campus safety by dialing 911. There is no need to dial "9" first in order to reach an outside line. Pressing the keys "9-1-1" automatically initiates contact with campus safety, where authorities will dispatch the appropriate emergency response personnel. Dispatchers at campus safety will ask callers to identify the location of the emergency. The blue light and residence hall emergency telephones on campus have not changed and may also be used in an emergency. A 911 emergency is any situation that requires immediate police, fire, or medical response. It includes incidents such as fire, assault or immediate danger of assault, serious injury or illness, a crime in progress, a person choking, incidents involving weapons, or a chemical spill. Campus safety director Robert Holt emphasizes that 911 should be used for emergencies only. Do not use 911 to report such non-emergencies as missing property, inquiries about weather or road conditions, parking concerns, or requests for motorist assistance. In such cases, callers from campus should contact campus safety by using the 3333 or 4-3333 non-emergency number. Dialing 911 from a pay telephone or from a non-college telephone line will access the Tompkins County 911 emergency dispatcher in downtown Ithaca, not campus safety. A 911 call on a cellular phone will reach the New York State Police. In all cases, the closest appropriate emergency units will respond to the call.