Sorry, Not Sorry.

"Well, I received a 911 call from somewhere in the courthouse, but it sounded like some kids. Do you know if there's anything going on?"
"Not that I know of. What did they say?"
"Well all I heard was somebody messing with the handset, then somebody whispered 'I killed the doctor, the doctor's dead.' and the line cut. The callback takes me to a fax machine."
"Oh how cute, silly kids.. Well, good luck finding them!"

 With an attitude like that, it's no wonder we receive thousands upon thousands of 911 calls every year that are not emergencies. What gets done about it? Nothing, at least not that I can tell. I can't remember the last time a local agency put on a "9-1-1" program at the school where they talk all about how and when to call the emergency line. It's been even longer since I've seen a PSA about it on TV or even in print material. With National Telecommunications Week fast approaching, I can't shake the thought of trying to put on some kind of program at all the area school districts about emergency services and how they really work, show them what happens from the start to the end of the call step by step. One can dream, right?

I think there are plenty of reasons that we get so many calls where the first words out of the person's mouth are "Well, this isn't really an emergency but I didn't know who else to call." First, I blame cartoons. Yes, those TV shows that we loved watching on Saturday mornings where the cat is "stuck in a tree" and somebody decides to call the fire department to save it. Really, when is the last time you saw a cat skeleton in a tree? Secondly, I blame laziness. Much of the time, instead of picking up the local phone book and looking for the number for animal control or code enforcement, they call 911 and state their request valiantly, like they're about to go on a secret mission to get the Johnsons' to cut down their weeds. Give me a break...

I remember taking one 911 call that I won't soon forget, just because of the sheer and utter ignorance that I received through the handset that day.
"911, your emergency?"
"Yes, I needed to see if my husband has been arrested for DWI."
"I'm sorry?"
"I said, I need to see if my husband has been arrested and is at the county jail for DWI. I haven't been able to find him for the last few hours and he was probably out with his buddies drinking, that son of a bitch."
"Ma'am, unless you are calling to report a missing person, this is not an emergency and I do not have that information, you need to call the sheriff's office non-emergency line for assistance."
"I don't know the number!! Can't you just tell me?"
"No ma'am, I can't. The number is 555-869-4830."
"Ugh, fine!"
*click*

Working in a small department, I swiveled around on my chair and waited for the phone to do what it does.
*ring, ring*
*Sheriff's Office, how can I help you?"
"Were you the guy that was just on 911 with me?"
"Yes ma'am, I was."
"Why couldn't you just tell me there?!?!"
"Because ma'am, that line is reserved for emergencies only. Trying to find your husband at the jail is not an emergency. Further, I don't know who is in jail, let me transfer you that way and they will be GLAD to help you."

As I've said before, we're supposed to have all the answers, right? We're supposed to know the noise ordinances, the parking regulations, and everything else the county has in place to keep the peace in Middle of Nowhere, Texas, right? No. We are here to get the guys who get paid to know these things to help you out. We get paid to know all of the officers on the squad, their radio numbers, all the fire and rescue units and their chain of command, as well as all of their phone numbers, the number to Border Patrol, the State Park, CJIS Control Room, EMD procedures, Texas DPS, cross streets, mile markers, and so many other things that I can't even remember at the moment myself. Probably because I'm not in the middle of a major traffic accident..

It really sucks when you have something major going on and somebody calls 911 to get directions to the town they were supposed to be in by now. For one, they have no idea who they are calling and how bad a time this is to try and ask for directions on the emergency only line. And secondly, it makes us look bad because sometimes, all we can say is "I'm sorry, this is not an emergency, you need to find the non-emergency line and call back there." It's not that we want to be jerks or are trying to make your life miserable, but when lives are on the line, somebody thinking they're lost is low priority compared to the mother of 3 who is bleeding out at the scene of an MVA.