CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – The Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office says in a Facebook post they are seeing an uptick in accidental 911 calls.

The Facebook post via the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page says in this situation, you are advised not to hang up. The Facebook post offers tips to prevent these unintentional calls.

The Facebook post states, “Just like other dispatch centers across the country, our dispatch center has seen an uptick in accidental 911 calls. There are times that people are aware that they have accidentally dialed 911 and other times that they are not.

The most important thing is to STAY ON THE LINE, DO NOT HANG UP! Hanging up ties up our resources and takes us away from other callers who may have a real emergency.

Our dispatch center has protocols to follow when a hangup is received, which requires dispatchers to connect with callers. Callers are not in trouble, and it will require less time and work by dispatchers if callers remain on the line.

Below are some tips for preventing accidental 911 calls:

• Avoid putting your phone in a tight space such as a cup holder. Holding down the power and volume buttons can trigger an emergency call.

• Avoid putting your phone in your pocket while mowing the lawn, using a jet ski, riding in a golf cart or in other situations where the phone can freely bounce around. Pressing the power button five times in a row can trigger an emergency call.

– Avoid letting children play with your phone unattended. Even an old phone without a SIM card can still dial 911.

• iWatches will dial 911 through certain hand motions or by putting them on a charger.

• Go to your phone’s settings to see how your device handles emergency calls. iPhone settings refer to it as “Emergency SOS.””