Being Safe and Secure
Calling 911: It’s no joke
We all need help.
I mean to say, that at some point, we all need assistance from some one. We just never know when our life might depend on someone else, and that assistance might need to come within a few minutes, as our future will hang in the balance.
This fact made the reported incidents in Detroit, where a 7 year old boy calling 911 to request help for his dying mother was chastised for playing by an operator and no assistance was sent, just so hard to comprehend.
The boy had been trained by his mother to call the emergency services number after the onset of a debilitating illness, but received several conversations that basically ignored his requests. In fact law enforcement was not sent after 3 calls, and then only to tell the dying mother that her son was playing on the phone.
What is this drama in Detroit?
In the foiur decades since 911 was implemented, it has become the main battery that charges our emergency services. The vast majority of public safety emergencies are reported to 911 systems nation wide, engaging the local responders to pressing matters in their communities. The 911 system has allowed for a prioritizing of emergencies, and has become integral in the management of incidents. Incident commanders can access further resources if emergencies are quickly spinning out of control through the dispatch center, and have increased the efficiency of deployed tax dollars public safety matters. While some people pine for the days of the cop walking the beat, people like to see lights and sirens when critical matters occur.
911 has become a central repository for problem solving, but the public has allowed the definition of an emergency to creep beyond the scope of 911’s original mission. People often call 911 and ask for directions to concerts, to request for assistance with cats stuck in trees, to report non-liked neighbors for noise.
911 is for life-threatening emergencies and crimes, not for life-ruining days when you need to find the nearest shopping mall to complete your ensemble.
In Detroit, 1.6 million calls for service come into the 911 center annually. Officials approximate that about two-thirds are not actual 911 emergencies, but other non-emergencies that require attention in due course. This sometimes ties up resources that could go to more pressing emergencies and produces inefficient delivery of service.
But our society has changed, and people are getting used to having services for non-essential things. The rugged individual has given way to the all-encompassing consumer, where services are available at the beck and call. 911 has become a barometer of this societal change.
The FCC, recognizing the creeping mission of 911, has created a family of 3 digit call for services numbers, sometimes called N11, where N is interchangeable; 211 is for social services, 311 is for city non emergencies, 411 is still general information, 511 is for travel/road conditions, 611 was for repairs, 711 is for the hearing impaired, and 811 is for “call before you dig”. These numbers are taking root in communities, albeit slowly.
The tragedy in Detroit really shows how the overburdening of 911 has gotten out of hand and swifter actions must be taken to educate people as to this new family of calls for service.
Let us pray that local officials move swiftly to make these numbers a reality in all communities, with the adequate resources to deliver the appropriate services. Mass educational efforts must be engaged to make this a reality, and the time to start is now, before the next 911 emergency occurs.