Suffered a stupidity attack? Call 911!!!

by Sunnygal41 3 Replies latest social current

  • Sunnygal41
    Sunnygal41

    Suffered a stupidity attack? Call 911!

    Police dispatchers dumbfounded over idiotic ‘emergency’ calls

    Updated: 5:08 p.m. ET Aug 8, 2006

    SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Only a third of 911 calls for help are actual emergencies, according to dispatchers who say some of the calls are simply wacky.

    "People have called because they went through the drive-through and their order was wrong," said California Highway Patrol dispatcher Dennis Kirchner. "People call because they're lost."

    There are so many ridiculous calls, dispatchers don't recall many of the details. One, for instance, was a report of a tumbleweed across a highway.

    "It's hard to remember the standouts because there's so many stupid things we get," Kirchner said.

    Terri Minogue, a senior dispatcher at the Santa Cruz Consolidated Emergency Communications Center, remembers a 911 call from a man who said there were two dead bodies in a car.

    Minogue had dispatched sheriff's deputies to the Highway 1 location before realizing the call was a sham. The caller went on to describe a vampire with fangs reaching down from the top of the car.

    "He sounded so straight-up before he started talking about the vampires," Minogue said.

    Still, emergency dispatchers have to treat every call like an emergency.

    "When people call in we will document it, unless it's outrageously stupid," Kirchner said.

    Outrageously stupid calls include people who have lost their cars at the mall, misplaced their keys, are stuck in traffic and want to know what's wrong or can't get their baby to stop crying. © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

  • Scully
    Scully

    The only time I've ever called 911 was when I was travelling, and seriously lost, and could not find where I was on a map for the life of me. It was getting dark and snowing heavily, I was alone, there were no houses or gas stations or phone booths in the area and I was almost out of gas. I tried calling my auto club with my cell phone, but my provider wasn't putting me through on the local network. The only number that did work with my cell phone was 911.

  • fullofdoubtnow
    fullofdoubtnow

    That happens on the 999 emergency number in the UK as well. People ring up if their neighbours are noisy, if kids are playing football in the street, if someone they don't like the looks of knocks on their door, stupid reasons like that.

    It's got so bad that the emergency authorities have introduced a non - emergency number, 101, which is currently being trialled in various areas, with the idea of being nationwide soon. It is actually an offence which carries a hefty fine, up to £1000, for being caught making a false 999 call, though we rarely hear of it being enforced.

  • Sunnygal41
    Sunnygal41

    wow.........Scully, good thing you used 911.........i would say that was a valid use in your case..........

    FODN, my bf has accidentally dialed 911 a couple of times.........it's embarrassing cuz they come to the house and make sure everything is okay...........i always felt so guilty........then they scrutinize you like you did a crime..........lol............

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit