Chatham Emergency Services Update 

Who Do You Call?

The two hardest things to get used to when you move to The Landings from elsewhere in the country are the No-See-Ums (sand gnats) and calling 355-6688 instead of 911 in the event of a fire or medical emergency. For most of us, it has become an automatic reaction to dial 911 for an emergency. We even taught our children to call 911 as soon as they were able to dial a telephone. However, in The Landings this is not the case – for any Fire or Medical emergency you always should call 355-6688 – not 911. You still should call 911 for any police emergency, regardless of where you live. 

For everyone who lives outside the City of Savannah, including those of us who live in The Landings and others places on Skidaway Island, fire protection and emergency medical response is provided by Chatham Emergency Services, not the City of Savannah Fire Department. In an emergency, when you call 355-6688 you are contacting the Chatham Emergency Services Dispatch Center, and the individual you talk to immediately can dispatch either fire or medical units (including the Skidaway Island First Responder volunteers) to our location. If you call 911, you are connected to the City of Savannah’s Metro dispatch center. Once that Savannah Metro dispatcher determines that you are located outside their coverage area, your call must be electronically transferred to the Chatham Emergency Services dispatch center. In other words, when a Landings resident calls 911 instead of 355-6688, it can cause confusion and delay in the emergency response – something no one wants to happen. 

To clarify, a recent email from The Landings Club to its membership announcing its new in-house security services provided inaccurate telephone numbers for Fire and Medical emergencies and for Skidaway Island First Responders. These telephone numbers have not changed. As always call 355-6688 for any Fire or Medical emergency. 

Now about those No-See-Ums – let me know if you find a way to deal with them!