Calling 911

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have a couple times, I can remember a looooong time ago when I lived in an apartment. We had a neighbor who was having some kind of "episode", she was screaming in pain and nobody could seem to help her. There were a few of us in the apartment trying to figure out what we could do, but nothing was helping. We turned it over to the professionals at that point. It was something related to a condition she had. They sent a firetruck and an ambulance both that night.

Another was when I witnessed a car accident, I was actually too freaked out to be much help because the truck that crashed into a car barely missed me to completely take out that other vehicle. The operator was like if it's at such and such we are on it. I was like. yea, that's it.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

I have called twice years ago, when my beloved late elderly Grandma had fallen.

 

[bcla]

Sure. But it’s been different over the years with mobile phones. The really disconcerting thing was when the 911 operator was patched through with the police or fire dispatcher and I could hear it and tried talking even though I was muted. It been for various things, some bigger emergencies than others. I think the neighborhood fire was clearly an emergency, but at other times I had no means to look up a nonemergency number. Especially with a pay phone.

I go way back to when emergencies meant dialing 0 for a phone company operator.

 

[CGB]

DD & I witnessed a big crash on the interstate once. After pulling over, she called 911 to report it as I ran back to help. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.

 

[tvguy]

Maybe a handful of times from a landline. I was one of the first on my block with a cell phone, and worked overnights, so made more 911 calls on a cell phone to report crashes, fires and road hazards.
Not sure how many of you are old enough to remember before 9-1-1 existed. I was 28 when Sacramento's system started in 1985. Prior to then we always had stickers on our phones that fire department handed out with their 7 digit emergency number, or you called O for operator in an emergency.

 

[marthachick]

Probably twice for car wrecks l was in but not hurt. Once when FIL fell at home and in laws wouldn’t call until our son the paramedic got there. I called as soon as he and my DH left our house to go over there. He had a broken hip. Once when DH had some skin cancer surgery and when I got home from getting his meds his face was swollen and blood was dripping from his eye sockets. Also when MIL had fallen and laid for several hours. Once when a man was possibly having a heart attack at a college graduation.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Have you ever had a need to call 911?

My coworker & I were discussing how another coworker (different department) made a comment about being a "pro" at calling 911. Which lead to a discussion about why she called 911 so often.


I have never once called 911. I have called the police or sheriff department directly but never 911. What about you? Have you called 911? Have you done it multiple times?

I am fortunate to have NEVER dialed that number.