When Calling 911 Fails

I think we all have had a time or two when we needed to call for emergency help. In most cases that is done by simply calling 911 from any phone. Usually within a a few minutes help has arrived. In overall I think the 911 service in this country is a great asset for people and I think most 911 calls are handled very professionally. Please believe me when I say that the 911 operators are usually skilled and very well trained professionals and they do their jobs very well.

Most times when a 911 call is not handled in the correct fashion it is usually due to a misunderstanding due to the fact that the caller is very frantic and does not or is unable to give the 911 operator the correct information. Other reasons can include bad connections, not being able to hear what is said clearly and some cell phones do not automatically let the 911 operator know the location of the caller if the call would happen to be terminated with out the caller location not being able to be given to the operator. We all should check our cell phone to make sure that the cell location service is on at all times and if not have it put on in the settings of the phone. This would allow the 911 operators and emergency personal to tell what location the call is being made from and then they can send the proper help that is needed.

Sometimes the 911 operators do receive prank calls, my thoughts on 911 prank calls is that whoever knowingly and willingly makes a 911 prank call should be thrown in jail and have the jail cell keys thrown away. There is No reason in the world why a prank 911 call should be tolerated. Below is a some links dealing with all the reasons a 911 call can go bad. The links give information on cell phones and what is the proper way to do a 911 call I hope you find them useful.

9-1-1 and Citizens

0. Public Awareness Campaigns 0. Not All Phones Tell 9-1-1 Your Location 0. Know Your Phone Video (English) 0. Know Your Phone Video (Spanish) 0. Know Your Location 0. When a Life is on the Line! 0. Facts 0. What is 9-1-1 & Enhanced 9-1-1 0. When to Call 9-1-1 0. Non-English Speaking Callers 0. Deaf and Hearing Impaired Callers 0. Cell Phones and 9-1-1 0. Critical Cell Facts 0. Tips for Cell Phone Users 0. FCC Requirements 0. Location Technologies 0. Wireless 9-1-1 Statistics 0. Internet/Digital Phones (VoIP) 0. About Internet/Digital Phones 0. Tips for Internet/Digital Phones 0. 911voip.org Campaign 0. Kids

Now, the flip side of this coin is this. Over the past few tears we all have heard about the 911 operators in some places not being professional in any way while handling a call for emergency help. This is the situation where a woman was calling requesting help with an out of control 12 year old. I myself think the 911 operator who handled this call should have been fired on the spot. I do not know what became of this situation however, I would have done the same as this lady and filed a formal complaint.

Another bad situation was a 17 year old girl calling 911 for a ambulance and help for her father who was just 3 weeks out of the hospital where he underwent brain surgery and was suffering a seizure at home. help was not sent because this 17 year old used the (F) word on the call. No matter what word she used it was because she was very afraid for her father and the call was not handled in a professional matter. Her father's life was put on the line of this 911 operator.

Finally just last month a man who lived in PA died even though there were several calls made to 911 that this man needed emergency help and the caller was told that help was on the way but help never arrived until it was way to late.

As I stated earlier, most 911 calls are handled by the 911 operator in a professional manner and when they tell you help is on the way it usually is on the way. However, I do feel that the 911 operators should have more training and be held accountable for their actions when mess ups are made and if it is the 911 operator's fault.