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Q: How come you
know my address and phone number when I call? [ Top ]
A: We have what is called
"E911" or enhanced 911 capabilities at our center. That
means that our computer-aided dispatch system has a link to the
local telephone company's computer.When we answer the phone, a computer
display shows the billing name, address, and number of the telephone
on the other end.
Q: You already
know my address and phone number, so why do you ask me anyway? [ Top ]
A: Computers are wonderful, but not infallible. They do make mistakes,
so we must ask just to make sure. Another possibility, is that many
people call from a neighbor's house, so we don't want to send help
to the wrong place and waste precious time.
Q: Why do you
ask so many irrelevant questions when I call 911? [ Top ]
A: We ask questions pertaining to the location of an incident and descriptions
of vehicles and people involved. Often we ask for descriptions of
the victim's clothing as well as the suspect's clothing. This is
to make sure that the officers who respond know which people are
which. At times we also need to know if a crime is still occurring,
or if it has occurred some time ago, in order to judge if the suspects
are still near the crime scene, or if the officers need to go searching
for them.
Q: Why can't you
just send help instead of keeping me on the phone? [ Top ]
A: In
an emergency, you are likely to be highly upset or even frantic.
But remember that most often while you are speaking to the call-taker,
help is being dispatched, and may be enroute to your location. Sometimes
the call-taker will keep you on the phone to try to keep you calm
and occupied until help arrives. Sometimes they will even tell you
what you can do to help the victim until help arrives. The best
thing you can do is to be responsive and don't try to fight the
call-taker or hang up on him or her. If you've hung up before all
the necessary information is relayed, you may delay the arrival
of help!
Q: Why do you
ask me the same questions over and over? [ Top ]
A: We
try to be as efficient and quick as possible. The only time we repeat
questions is when the caller is too frantic to be understood. We
understand that when a crisis occurs it's human nature to get upset,
but when you scream, cry, or curse at us and we can't get the necessary
information, you are just delaying the help you desperately need.
Try to speak clearly and answer our questions completely.
Q: When should
I call 911? [ Top ]
A: Anything
that has just occurred or is still in progress that could be life
threatening. A medical emergency which needs an ambulance, a fire,
or any incident which has injuries or unknown injuries.
Q: When should
I NOT call 911? [ Top ]
A: Anything
that has occurred prior (like yesterday, days before, or even weeks
before!), the responsible party is gone, a report for insurance
purposes only, or if no person or property is in danger.
Q: Can I still
get 911 if I dial the operator? [ Top ]
A: Yes. You get connected to 911, however, when you are connected
through the operator we do not get your address or phone number
on our enhanced 911 screens. (Many of us did not have 911 when we
grew up and we would call the operator who would then transfer us
to police, fire, or ambulance when needed.) By not dialing 911 it
slows down the process by preventing us from simply verifying your
address. When you call in an emergency, you are often upset, afraid,
and not always thinking rationally. As a result you will sometimes
forget your address, and we cannot get help to you until that address
is determined.
Q: What happens
when I call 911 accidentally and hang up? [ Top ]
A: The dispatcher will try to call you back. If the dispatcher
reaches a child on the phone, he/she will ask to speak to an adult.
An officer will be dispatched to the residence if no adult can be
reached. If no one answers, an officer will be dispatched. If the
line is busy, the dispatcher will attempt to break through with the
help of an operator to see if it was a misdial or there is an emergency
needing help.
Q: Why can't
you just take my non-emergency call on 911 when we are both on the
line already? [ Top ]
A: We
only have 15 incoming 911 lines for the entire county. Any major
incident will cause numerous lines to ring regarding this one incident.
(Large fire, major traffic accident, etc.) Those 15 lines can get
tied up quickly. If we are taking your non-emergencycall also on
911, a real emergency caller may reach a busy signal. |
