Have you ever called 911

[LargoLori]

I am an emergency dispatcher. Just know that even tho the caller may think the questions are ridiculous, we may have our reasons and the caller may never know them.

This....I have been answering 911 calls and dispatching for 13+ years...

 

[tvguy]

Landline 911, or Cellular 911?
Here in California, landline 911 is for potentially life threatening situations only.
Celluar 911 is for potentially life threatening situations, but also how you report drunk drivers, and traffic hazards.

Landline 911, twice. Last year when my mom became ill, and many years ago when there was an explosion at the high school 2 blocks away at night. We didn't get landline 9-1-1 here until the mid-80's.

Celluar 911, maybe twice a year since I got my car phone in 1990 (yes, they were cell phones, but they were often mounted in the car in those days and we called them car phones) because since 1980 I have had jobs that required me to be at work between 11 pm and 3 am, so I am on the road when there are a lot of drunks out. Twice I hit things in the road and blew a tire.....a muffler once, a metal bed frame the other time. The last time was a few months ago at 2:45 am when I was getting on the freeway where three freeways intersect, and they had one ramp closed, and the portable message board warned of a ramp closure, but listed the wrong freeway and I had to go a couple of miles out of my way to turn around. Freeway construction is done these days here from 10 pm to 5 am.

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Had cable company out to fix phone in the am. Apparently my phone called 911 repeatedly after being "fixed." Came home to find a Police officer in my driveway talking to my neighbor. He checked out the house before kids and I went in to make sure no one was inside, he swears they had it happen before robbers break in get hurt and call 911. All is well. Call hubby at work tell him. All have a chuckle.

Fast forward to about midnight, dog barks, he NEVER barks. I get up annoyed thinking he needs to pee. See two men looking into our living room window with flashlight (I'm upstairs in our quad out of sight). I jump back into bedroom, wake dh. He stumbles downstairs. Opens door. Police officer - hand on gun -identifies self as officer. Tells him numerous 911 calls with no one speaking from our house have been made. I creep down the steps as dh starts to explain all is ok we had cable out to work on lines. Officer sees me and asks me if everything is ok, about five times, poor dh, told him must be love cause I didn't throw him under the bus...

I was on the phone with cable at 1230, so livid! The solution to have 911 ignore our calls until next am....police and myself were NOT happy with that solution....

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Once, one of my neighbors was very sick.

 

[Mel522]

Twice. Once when I saw a man breaking the garage window on my neighbors house at about 2 in the morning. I suspected he was her adult son who occasionally stays with her, but I knew he hadn't stayed there for a while and she was out of town. So I called. Second was when my father died.

 

[SLP958]

4 times.

1 for a horse running down the interstate

2 for a car on fire on the side if the road
Catching the woods on fire

3 for a wreck

4 for myself due to serious emergency pregnancy related issue.

 

[Mandy_in_NC]

Twice. Once an old man drove off the road into a pond, pulled him out and then called. Another, saw a guy fall off a ladder, he broke his back. They do ask a bunch of ridiculous questions.

You may think they are ridiculous question but they aren't. We ask these questions to know what kind of ambulance to send. Do we need to send a Paramedic or can a basic EMT handle the call. Also we ask these questions to be able to provide you with some pre arrival instructions to help save a life. If you haven't guessed I am a 911 Dispatcher and proud of the job I do every day.

And the last time I called 911 my husband motorcycle was on fire in the front yard and we needed the fire dept. And of course it was my work day. I called at 4:30pm and had to be at work at 7pm.

 

[superme80]

A few times
1)there was a fire on the side of the road.
2)Some guy got pulled out of his vehicle and started getting beat up during rush hour. He took off down the opposite side of the freeway.
3)There was an accident this winter. Poor kid hydroplaned and crashed into the center divide.

 

[WishesDreamer]

I am an emergency dispatcher. Just know that even tho the caller may think the questions are ridiculous, we may have our reasons and the caller may never know them.

Thank you for stating this, as I was just getting ready to do so before I read your post. I am a former 911 dispatcher.

 

[PaulaSB12]

and what was the deal with the last time ?

I have called it 3 times, the last time, I guy I was working with ( we were clearing out a building before they demolished it) he started screaming for me, was on ground in pain and didnt no why, he had a heart attack about 8 weeks earlier so I thought it was his heart, called 911 they came, they told me his in great pain but its not his heart, they alter found out cancer was all thru him, and he did something where it was against his lung and couldnt breathe right

It's 999 over here I had to call them 12/04/11 my mother had refused to get out of her chair for a day, on the Sunday I was talking to my mum and she started going on about dealing with my schools head teacher. Now as I left this school well over twenty years ago it freaked me out so I called for an ambulance when we got to hospital I rang work (the firm I work for is 24/7) told them I would not be able to go to work the next day. It was then we where told that her cancer had reached her kidneys that one had already failed the other was failing and that my mother wouldn't live long. It turned out that she was tougher than they thought she managed until 2/1/12 when she slipped into a coma and died on the Friday.

 

[WishesDreamer]

It's 999 over here I had to call them 12/04/11 my mother had refused to get out of her chair for a day, on the Sunday I was talking to my mum and she started going on about dealing with my schools head teacher. Now as I left this school well over twenty years ago it freaked me out so I called for an ambulance when we got to hospital I rang work (the firm I work for is 24/7) told them I would not be able to go to work the next day. It was then we where told that her cancer had reached her kidneys that one had already failed the other was failing and that my mother wouldn't live long. It turned out that she was tougher than they thought she managed until 2/1/12 when she slipped into a coma and died on the Friday.

I'm so sorry about your mum.

 

[MnMomtoboys]

Had to call them tonight. Went into SuperAmerica to see and friend and get a pop and the employee working had a seizure and passed out. Ambulance made her go to the hospital since she didn't know anything and hit her head. She is ok. Can't work for a few days.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I'm so sorry about your mum.

Thanks she lived with me for the last few years of her life and I miss her.

 

[maslex]

I've only called one time. I'm a very light sleeper and I heard someone come into my house at about 4:00 am a few years ago. Woke up my husband, called 911. Hubby looked throughout the house (with a bat, lol) cops took a look all around inside and out. Found nothing. I did find a bottle of beer between the kitchen door and storm door. Come to find out, my drunk-*** neighbor thought he was coming into his house and walked into mine.

 

[CupcakeKelly]

I've had to call 3 times


1) domestic issue with my mom and her bf (at the time). I was only 9 and got spooked when they picked up so I hung up
2) a heavy vase fell out off a shelf and hit my mom on the head, knocked her out
3) I worked at a pharmacy in college and someone came in to rob us of OxyContin. Actually that happened twice, so I guess 4 times.

 

[mrsdon]

Many times
But 2 of the saddest/scariest were
When my mom had a massive heart attack and died
When we robbed at gun point where I worked

 

[MIGrandma]

Only once, maybe 3-4 years ago.

Smoke detector went off about 3:00 in the morning, could smell an electrical smoke smell but DH couldn't find the source so I called 9-1-1, the fire dept. came out, they couldn't find the source either so had to call another dept. to come out with their thermal imaging machine and they found it, the compressor on the refrigerator. We felt stupid, but they said we did the right thing by calling.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Once when dd was 3 months old. I tripped while carrying her and dropped her on her head. Skull fracture and concussion. Poor little thing. Scariest time of my life. She's 15 now and quite fine, thank you.

 

[StephMK]

Twice.

Once we were driving on the highway & there was a fire in the grassy median and no one around.

The second time was for my DS when he was 18 mo old. We'd gone for a walk before dinner & when we got back, he suddenly spiked a fever and started becoming unrepsonsive. I was holding him and he went kind of limp, I thought he was dying. It was the scariest thing because we didn't know if he was having a reaction to something or what was going on. It was a windy day in the fall and we'd been in the woods on a trail with his stroller.

The medical guys were so good. They got there fast and were so reassuring. I felt stupid later because I remember smiling when they got there but I was so relieved someone was there to help.

DS threw up in the ambulance & then was fine. We stayed in the hospital a few hours to make sure he was ok then went home. He had a brain test (EKG? EEG?) later and they said it was not a seizure so we never knew what happened. The dr guessed febrile seizure due to fever but the scan didn't show it. He's 10 now & it has never happened again.

 

[aprilgail2]

And the last time I called 911 my husband motorcycle was on fire in the front yard and we needed the fire dept. And of course it was my work day. I called at 4:30pm and had to be at work at 7pm.

We would not call 911 here for a fire or if someone was sick/hurt- you call the fire/rescue number and it cuts out that 911 midle man and they get here much faster. 911 calls here are for police matters, not fire or ambulance.
I've called 911 a few times, kids walking down the block breaking car windows with beer bottles and I dont recall what else but I know there was a least one other.