Public release of 911 tapes increases our awareness of the role of emergency responders. Even kids are taught songs about 9-1-1. But when should you make the call?

Barry Furey, director of the Raleigh-Wake County Emergency Communications Center, says while most people know that 911 is for life-threatening emergencies, many of the 860,000 calls that come into the communications center each year don't need emergency response.

"If it's something that involves life safety or potential damage to property, that's a rule of thumb, it's appropriate to call," he said. "Probably an easier thing to say is when not to call 911, and those are situations such as traffic conditions, barking dogs, looking for school or business closings, or when your power is out."

Furey says when operators answer the call, the most important information they need is location. He says a street address in a neighborhood or exit number on the highway are the most help, as are landmarks. Be prepared, he says, for operators to ask you for information about the make and model of cars involved in an accident or descriptions of people involved in a crime.

"Our function is to operate like the triage section of a hospital," said Furey. "We are trying to figure out who has got the most serious problem and where they are so we can send the people who have the greater emergency the help first."

Want to know more? Furey talks about when to report traffic accidents from the road, what kids need to know about 911, and what questions to expect from the 911 operator in the video link above.