Last Updated on June 30, 2025 12:45 pm
BOONE, N.C. — For over 50 years, 911 has remained the nation’s quickest and best-known link between the public and emergency service providers. Appalachian State University is partnering with local organizations through the High Country Public Information Officer (PIO) Task Force to help promote 911 education with free, customizable 911 address information magnets.
To help the community stay prepared for emergencies, each magnet includes space to write in a physical address — your 911 address — which is the first information that emergency personnel need.
Designed for easy visibility in living spaces and kitchens, 911 information magnets include a list of local service providers by phone. Four magnet designs are available for Watauga County, including individualized resources by phone for different needs, such as those for students, rental properties, local families and elderly and special needs populations.
New and temporary address information may not be known to a new resident or visitor, and the acute stress of an emergency can make critical information difficult to recall during a crisis, even for a longtime resident. Additionally, should the need ever arise to call 911 for someone else, the magnets are designed to keep critical information within easy reach.
911 information magnets are available for pickup from High Country PIO Task Force partner organizations. To request pickup information, or if you are a local organization or business that would like to help with community distribution, please email Emily Autry at autryec@appstate.edu or call 828-262-8517.
Take these steps below to customize your 911 magnet:
- Write in the physical address for your building or home, and include your apartment or unit number, if applicable.
- This may or may not be the same as your mailing address, but do not use a PO box or rented mailbox as a 911 address.
- If you are renting, contact your rental office or landlord to confirm the correct physical address of your rental.
- Use a marker or pen with dark, permanent ink when writing on your magnet.
- Share your 911 address information with family, friends and other people you trust in case they ever need to call 911 for you.
The High Country PIO Task Force — which includes representatives from App State, the Town of Boone, Watauga County and community organizations — also encourages everyone in the community to consider these general safety tips for anyone who may need to call 911:
- Call 911 if you can, and text 911 if you can’t. Text to 911 service is available in Watauga County, benefiting individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or in a situation where they cannot speak.
- If you attempt to send a text to 911 from any location where the service is not yet available, you will receive an automatic “bounce-back” message advising you to contact 911 by another means, such as a voice call or using a telecommunications relay service such as teletypewriters (TTY) and telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD).
- Do not call 911 for non-emergencies. An emergency is any serious situation where police, fire-rescue or emergency medical help is needed immediately. If you are unsure of whether your situation is an emergency, call 911, and the dispatcher will help determine if you need emergency assistance or just a direct phone number to a local service provider.
- Anytime you need to call 911, try to stay calm and don’t hang up. Until you are instructed that you may disconnect, stay on the line with the dispatcher.
- Many dispatchers are also certified first responders, and can provide very important instructions and support to you before police, fire-rescue and EMS personnel arrive.
- Accidentally call 911? Don’t hang up. Instead, inform the dispatcher that you dialed 911 accidentally and there is no emergency.
- If a 911 caller does hang up, first responders will still be dispatched, creating an unnecessary deficit in available resources that could be critically needed elsewhere.
