Worst 911 phone call experience of my life

[SSGSAD]

Hoosierdoc, I have called 911, 3-4 times, to report road rage, and I get the same response every time ..... Sir you need to take the next available exit, to avoid any more trouble ...... I tell them, I am a taxpaying law abiding citizen, and I am going to work ..... and I just get the same response .....

 

[hoosierdoc]

I called the number to request a copy of the tape. Also left msg with a supervisor with the timestamp to have them review it.

 

[printcraft]

Hoosierdoc, I have called 911, 3-4 times, to report road rage, and I get the same response every time ..... Sir you need to take the next available exit, to avoid any more trouble ...... I tell them, I am a taxpaying law abiding citizen, and I am going to work ..... and I just get the same response .....

That's no excuse for having road rage at the other drivers, the operator just wanted to get you off the road because you were dangerous.........

 

[oldpink]

I've called on a few occasions going either to or from work on I-70 (at least two occasions with semis dragging a chain and another with a semi's trailer tail lights totally out), giving the operator the mile marker and the direction of travel of the hazardous vehicle.
It's much easier to locate the county that way, but way tougher to intercept if they don't get a state trooper either clocking traffic up road or able to catch up from an on ramp.
The operators on at least those occasions were not only cooperative, but seemed appreciative that a conscientious driver was doing a little bit to avoid someone getting hurt.
I'm unsure if they were able to intercept and let the truckers know so they could fix the problems they surely didn't yet know of, because I made it my mission to pass the trucks and get some distance ahead of them as quickly and safely as possible after making the calls.

 

[Libertarian01]

Not a frustrating 911 call, but funny: A few years back, me and a friend were on his dads property looking at some trees we were gonna cut down, and another guy was several hundred yards already cutting a few, we were sitting on the tailgate of my truck when we saw a tree fall ON the other guy. Neither of us had phones at that time, so the I ran to his dads house to call 911. I was out of breath by the time 911 picked up, and I told them where we were and what had happened. I guess the guy at 911 didn't understand me the first time I said a tree had fallen on a guy, and he calmly asked me again what the problem was.....I said "a tree fell on somebody", to which all calmness went out of the 911 operators voice and he replied "HOLY **** ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME"

I didn't laugh about it at the time, and the guy under the tree survived, but that call still cracks me up.

To Littletommy,

A story that reinforces a practice I have had for years!

I take care of some property out in the country where oftentimes no one is around. EVERY time I need to chainsaw a big tree or even big limbs off of a downed tree I bring a friend along.

He can sit there and read a book, smoke a cigarette, whatever. I just want to know if my luck goes south there will be someone with a cell phone available to call 911 and get me help. Otherwise it could be hours for help to arrive, even days if I were knocked unconscious.

Regards,

Doug

 

[littletommy]

To Littletommy,

A story that reinforces a practice I have had for years!

I take care of some property out in the country where oftentimes no one is around. EVERY time I need to chainsaw a big tree or even big limbs off of a downed tree I bring a friend along.

He can sit there and read a book, smoke a cigarette, whatever. I just want to know if my luck goes south there will be someone with a cell phone available to call 911 and get me help. Otherwise it could be hours for help to arrive, even days if I were knocked unconscious.

Regards,

Doug

That guy was very lucky we were there, and just happened to see the tree fall, otherwise he probably wouldn't have made it. We were just cutting wood as a favor to my buddies dad, but the poor guy that nearly got killed was cutting wood to keep his family warm through the winter, I don't know how many ricks of wood we hauled over and stacked for him while he was recovering, but he was very glad to see us everytime we went over there.

 

[HoughMade]

There are many instances when I was working in various situations where I have turned to whoever is closest and said: "Dial 9 - 1, and put your finger on 1".

 

[GlockRock]

Our dispatch center shows GPS locations of every 911 call made on a map. Apparently this isn't so in all dispatch centers. Our dispatchers confirm (or are supposed to) with every caller to make sure it's an accurate location. We respond to nearly every driving complaint called in as well and try to keep the caller on the line as long as possible or until the officers locate the car called in on.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

If it makes you feel better, public safety personnel that have to interact with Dispatch/Control are treated the same way by some of them.

 

[terrehautian]

Yeah but... did they catch the guy?

not that I know of.

 

[sadclownwp]

What do you expect, 911 operators are minimum wage jobs. The kind of people you want answering the phones don't apply for low paying jobs.

 

[hoosierdoc]

If it makes you feel better, public safety personnel that have to interact with Dispatch/Control are treated the same way by some of them.

Misery and company I guess.

What do you expect, 911 operators are minimum wage jobs. The kind of people you want answering the phones don't apply for low paying jobs.

I got that impression while on the call.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

What do you expect, 911 operators are minimum wage jobs. The kind of people you want answering the phones don't apply for low paying jobs.

Like one of my favorite Sgts always said: pay burger-flipping wages, get burger-flippers. There are many good dispatchers and control operators, but only the ****ty ones get talked about.

 

[actaeon277]

I'm not sure if this is better, but I have a bunch of local police departments phone numbers.
I group them together, buy starting the contact info with "police". Such as "Police Merrillville", "Police Schererville", "Police Hammond", etc.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

What do you expect, 911 operators are minimum wage jobs. The kind of people you want answering the phones don't apply for low paying jobs.

Depends on where you are. Louisville starts out at about the same as a rookie cop.

 

[MrsGungho]

If it makes you feel better, public safety personnel that have to interact with Dispatch/Control are treated the same way by some of them.

no, it really doesn't make me feel better

 

[7urtle]

Should of told them there was a man with a big black gun and then every cop in the state would of showed up !!!!!!

my mom saw something similar and they said she was in the wrong city and couldnt help.

 

[bwframe]

Is minimum wage $12.50ish an hour?
Dispatcher

Class Title:	911 TELECOMMUNICATOR
Bargaining Unit:	Exempt and Non-exempt non-cba
Class Code:	PROF
Salary:	$25,401.58 Annually

Even if it was, would that justify for poor performance?

 

[JetGirl]

So, if you're near the border of a county should you specify which county you're in?

Yes. That's what I was told, anyhow.
I called last winter because I saw an accident. I was between two counties (in the same situation as you seem to have been), and my call got bounced back and forth because I couldn't verify which it was. Not being marked, I didn't know exactly where one ended and the other began.

 

[looney2ns]

The show the Best Defense talked about this last week. 911 calls from cell phones. The FCC mandated a few years ago that cell phone companies install better equipment to locate callers. But they haven't done it.

If you have GPS turned off in the phone, this makes matters worse.

The show claimed that 60% of 911 calls were now coming from Cell phones and causing all sort of locating issue's. Their advice was, you better know really well were you are so you can explain it to dispatch.


Wife and I coming home from Cincinnati late one night. Just before entering Louisville area, I get behind a semi that was weaving all over the place. So much so the trailer tipped up off of one set of wheels from time to time. I was afraid to pass him even with 3 lanes.

I do my duty and call 911 to report. Give mile markers, road numbers and direction of travel. Needless to say, I spent 25 MINUTES on the phone and never got a confirmation the dispatcher knew where I was talking about. Finally my exit came out and I got away from that truck.