Earlier this week at an Indiana County Commissioners meeting, the Indiana County Commissioners paid tribute to 911 dispatchers with a special proclamation for National Telecomunicators Week. Now, the state’s emergency management agency is giving tips about calling 911.
911 systems across the state of Pennsylvania handle over 9 million calls a year from those that actually require emergency services, and those who pick up on the other end of the line are the first part of the emergency service that is provided to whomever needs it.
First of all, there are situations that 911 is dialed accidentally, especially because of the open-face style of cell phone that is popular today. Plus, there’s still a possibility that a kid will dial 911 accidentally on any sort of phone. If 911 is dialed accidentally, stay on the line and tell the person on the other end that the call was a mistake. If you hang up the phone right away, the telecomunicator will believe that there is a genuine emergency and try to re-connect the call. In addition, during emergencies where there are high call volumes, stay on the line as long as you can, even if it takes a while for the other end to pick up. And finally, never prank-call 911 or use it for general information needs like weather reports or reporting power outages. You could be charged with abuse of emergency services.
