How to respond to an SOS alert from someone who is out alone

What an SOS alert means

An SOS alert is the most direct signal a safety app can send. Unlike an overdue or stationary alert, which fire because something didn't happen, an SOS usually means the person pressed a button on purpose. Treat it as a request for help right now, until you learn otherwise.

With Holler, an SOS notifies Guardians by email and by app or browser push, with the person's location and a link to their live map. Holler does not contact 911 or any emergency service. That step belongs to you or to them, which is why knowing what to do in the next five minutes matters.

Accidental presses happen, and the person can clear an SOS if they're fine. You still respond as if it's real until you hear from them. A false alarm that ends with a two-minute phone call costs nothing. If you haven't yet agreed a plan with the person, our hub on how to be a good safety contact is a good place to start once this is over.

The first five minutes, step by step

Keep this list somewhere you can reach without searching, like a pinned note on your phone. Under stress, having the order written down helps.

What to tell a 911 dispatcher

Dispatch centers ask callers to state what kind of emergency it is, then where it is, and to answer the questions they're asked. County 911 FAQs list the core facts they need: where, what happened, who is involved, and how it happened. When you're calling about someone else, the location is the hardest part, because the dispatcher's system sees your phone, not theirs.

Say clearly at the start that you are not at the scene. Then give the location as precisely as you can. Coordinates copied from the live map are useful. So is a plain description: the trail name and park, the road and nearest cross street, or "about a mile past the north trailhead". Always include the town, county and state.

Your opening sentence can be as simple as: "I'm calling to report an emergency for my friend. I'm not with her. She pressed an SOS button on a safety app while running alone in Riverside Park, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. I have her GPS coordinates." Then let the dispatcher ask for the rest. The table lists what they are likely to need, so you can have it ready.

Let the dispatcher lead. They will ask questions in the order that helps them. Answer briefly, say "I don't know" when you don't, and don't hang up until they tell you to.

If they're in another city, state or country

Your 911 call goes to the dispatch center that serves where you are, not where they are. That's fine. Call 911 anyway and tell the dispatcher immediately that the emergency is in a different location, then give the full location including town, county and state.

Dispatch centers transfer calls that need another agency. Aitkin County, Minnesota, and Henry County, Indiana, both say so in their 911 FAQs. If the dispatcher can't transfer you, ask for the phone number of the police or sheriff's office for the county where the person is, and call that. Stay on the line during any transfer and don't hang up until you're told to. If the person is in a place you do not know, the advice in how to call 911 if you do not know where you are works from the other end too: road names, landmarks and coordinates.

If you're outside the US, use your own local emergency number. Across the European Union that number is 112, and the EU notes it also works in some countries outside the EU. If the person is in a different country from you, call your local emergency number anyway, explain the situation and ask how to reach help where they are. At the same time, try anyone you know who is local to them.

If they answer and they're OK

Relief is the most common ending to an SOS. The button got pressed in a pocket, or they pressed it during a scary moment that passed, like an aggressive dog or a car that came too close. Ask if they want you to stay on the phone for a while, and ask them to clear the alert when they're safe, so other Guardians aren't still worrying.

If you already called 911 and they turn out to be fine, call back and tell the dispatcher. Don't just let it go. Responders may already be on the way and need to know.

Later, when things are calm, talk about what happened without blame. An accidental press might mean they need a different way of carrying the phone. A frightening encounter might mean a different route or time of day. Our guides on what to do if someone follows you while running and on choosing a safe running route can help with that conversation.

If you can't get through at all

Sometimes the SOS arrives and then the map stops updating. That can mean their phone lost signal, the battery died, or the phone was damaged. The last known location stays visible, and that location is exactly what responders need. Don't wait for the dot to move before calling 911.

If they're hiking or riding somewhere remote, tell the dispatcher that too. Search and rescue teams ask people to report overdue or missing people through 911 or the county sheriff's office, and a clear account of the planned route and where they parked helps. Our guide on when to call 911 if someone is overdue covers the details that searchers ask for, and what to do if your runner stops moving explains how to read a frozen dot.