I was trying to make a long distance call from my office and got 9-1-1 by mistake. Why does that happen?

In some offices/businesses the telephone equipment may require you to dial "9" to get an outside line to dial out. This type of system is called a Private Branch Exchange (PBX). A PBX is basically a private telephone system that is connected to the public telephone system. If you happen to dial "9" to get an outside line and "1" for a long distance number, the "1" could accidentally get pressed twice or be held down too long, therefore 9-1-1 is actually dialed.

Some PBX systems also require that you dial "9-9-1-1" in order to dial 9-1-1 for emergency assistance. You should check with the person(s) responsible for maintaining your telephone system to see if dialing "9-9-1-1" is a requirement for your office. If it is, make sure that these instructions are posted in plain view at each phone for employees to see in case they need to call 9-1-1.