I am a 911 operator and dispatcher and we field many calls
that are not emergencies but do require some type of response from Police, Fire
or Rescue which is fine and don’t worry if it is not an emergency I will place
you on hold and answer other lines if I need to. However at around 0125hrs the other night our phones lines
were inundated with multiple non-emergency calls that did not require any form
of emergency assistance or response.
The electricity went out in a large portion of Port St
Lucie.
Many people called to let us know.
One person complained because they were walking there dog
and the street light were out and they could not see.
One person complained that they were cramming for a test and
they could not see to study.
One woman called because she was afraid and I stayed on the
line until she found a source of light…..this however I could understand and
did not mind staying on the line to assist her.
We gladly take calls for traffic light malfunctions however remember when you took your driving test any intersection with a traffic
light that is malfunctioning should be treated as a 4 way stop. It was a question on your driving exam……… At a busy traffic intersection during rush hour officers will respond for traffic control but at 0130 hours in the am...........you figure it out.
Most people just wanted to keep us informed but.....
We know and there is nothing we can do about it and we have
no clue why and we do not know for how long. And when we tell you to call your power company for that
information……
No. We do not have the phone number we are not 411. We do have the number for emergency response but the lights’ being out is not an emergency. It is an inconvenience and we don’t call and ask why.
No. We do not have the phone number we are not 411. We do have the number for emergency response but the lights’ being out is not an emergency. It is an inconvenience and we don’t call and ask why.
Do not call 911 when your lights go out call your power
company or if applicable call an electrician and no we do not have the number
that is 411 and no we can not refer you to an electrician we are not allowed to.
If a transformer blows, catches fire and drops live power
lines then please call 911 imediately. We will send the Fire Department and Police. If your medical equipment you need to survive malfunctions during a power outage please
call we will send you and ambulance. If you hurt yourself because the power
went out, yes PLEASE call 911 we will help you. That is what we are here for. But please use some common sense people, power outages
happen sometimes especially when it gets hot and everyone is trying to keep their
houses cool. Sometimes transformers blow and relays malfunction and when this
happens the power company knows and has a crew en-route as quickly as possible.
It is not the Zombie apocalypse and the world is not coming to an end.
Trust me when the power goes out we know because so do the
traffic lights and someone will call and let us know or the officers on the
road will notice and also let us know.
Sometimes when the power goes out it includes the 911 center
so we know.
When you call to let us know the power went out, it ties up
our lines and interferes with calls that maybe true emergencies and may delay a
response to someone who truly needs help. Tying up our 911 lines with no-emergencies
like this means there is a delay in answering and you wonder why no one is
picking up or when we finally can get to your call and we are not pleasant when
you tell us the lights are out it is because you are the 5th person
to let me know and there are 2 more lines ringing that I can't answer because you
want to know why and wont let me off the phone.
Well now you know.
This has been a public service announcement and thank you
for letting me rant!
I feel better now!
(Just so you know I may have exaggerated a little on the complaints as some were second hand so don't quote me in court. This is just a blog people.)
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