Real Talk #065 – How to call the non-emergency line

Culips Everyday English Podcast

Culips English Podcast

Self-improvement, Education, Language Learning, Courses

4.8 • 968 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do you know what to say if you need to report something important but not urgent? In today’s episode, you’ll learn exactly how to handle this type of situation in English.

Join Andrew and Kassy as they break down two realistic phone conversations where someone calls the police or fire department’s non-emergency line. You’ll learn the key expressions native speakers use to describe situations that are a little concerning but not emergencies.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

* Start a phone call in a polite and clear way
* Use softening language like “might,” “maybe,” and “a little worried”
* Explain situations without sounding too dramatic
* Understand what the phrases “check in on someone” and “wellness check” mean

This is a must-listen for anyone living in an English-speaking country—or planning to! By the end of this episode, you’ll feel more confident calling for help in everyday situations.

Listen now and be ready for anything—no stress, no panic. Just the right English when you need it.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone and welcome back to Real Talk, the Culep series where we teach you the English
0:06.0	that you need to know for real life everyday situations.
0:10.7	Joining me today is my co-host Cassie and we're going to teach you guys how to call
0:15.7	the non-emergency line and how to talk about maybe an issue or a problem that you've encountered in your life
0:24.2	that you're worried about or concerned about but is not really a pressing urgent emergency.
0:31.5	So let's bring in Cassie here and we'll get started with this episode.
0:35.4	Cassie, I forgot to say hello. Hello. How's it going?
0:40.0	Hello. I'm doing well. And you? I'm good, Cassie. Off the top of your head, could you
0:47.3	brainstorm here with me a few situations where you may need to call the non-emergency line?
0:56.0	You know, I could think of a bunch of random ones.
0:59.3	Like maybe if I saw a kind of large stray dog somewhere in the neighborhood.
1:06.7	And, you know, some people are terrified of dogs.
1:09.7	So I'd maybe call that line or like a weird, rabid-looking raccoon that's running through the neighborhood, tearing into trash cans.
1:19.2	I don't know.
1:20.3	What else?
1:22.3	Maybe if I saw, like, a big tree falling into the the road that would need moved. How about you?
1:30.5	Those are great examples. A big scary dog running around off leash, a rabid raccoon, which are
1:38.1	quite scary. Raccoons can be quite scary. A fallen tree. I was just mentioning before we started recording here,
1:46.3	Cassie, how where I go running, I have to run under this little bridge and beside the bridge
1:53.3	is kind of a little tunnel that goes under the road and they're doing some maintenance work down
1:59.5	there and they have some machinery operating,
2:01.9	maybe like a pump or something.
	...

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