Last Updated on October 19, 2020
What an odd title for a blog post…
Isn’t it the world of 911 emergency response serious business? Aren’t we talking about life and death? What’s so wacky and wild about car accidents, fires, burglaries, and heart attacks?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
What’s wild and wacky is when citizens call 911 for less than noble reasons. Call takers must answer these calls, like all the rest, and try to maintain their professionalism in situations ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. It’s not easy and we applaud those operators who maintain high standards of quality when faced with a situation that’s nothing short of lunacy.
Here’s a brief 911 call Hall of Shame we can all appreciate for its utter madness. Enjoy…
Prisoner in My Own Bed
Benjamin Diddles of Waukesha, WI called 911 when a neighbor fell asleep in his bed and began “…snoring away like a train.” Eventually the call taker relents and dispatches emergency personnel to remove the snoring woman. Check out the call recording…man calls 911 to removing snoring woman from his bed.
Come Over and Drink With Me…Please
James Collins was celebrating his 56th birthday in style. The Fort Pierce, FL man was enjoying a few cold ones in the comfort of his own home but was angered by his neighbors’ refusal to join him in a celebratory beverage. He called 911 twice that evening, declaring his neighbors were “mean” because of their reluctance to join in the festivities. Wonder what he thought of the officers who arrested him for Misuse of 911 and Disorderly Intoxication? The story is here.
An Explosive Relationship
To say that Randolph Smith of Vero Beach, FL wasn’t getting along with his wife is putting it mildly. Before heading off to a nearby Burger King for a bite, Mr. Smith fashioned a fake bomb out of a pipe and some hardware and left it on the kitchen table along with a note. It said, “This is a explosive. Its a bomb.” Directly on the table, in red ink, Smith wrote “BOOM.” Mrs. Smith called 911 upon her arrival and was relieved when the bomb squad confirmed the bomb was indeed a phony. For the full story…BOOM!
If At First You Don’t Succeed…Call, Call Again
Apparently it’s not easy being Clyde Hobbs. Or perhaps it’s not easy being Mrs. Clyde Hobbs. You see, Mrs. Hobbs answered the door when Oklahoma City police came knocking in 2012 to arrest her husband for making false reports.
Mr. Hobbs called 911 a total of 17 times in one day, each time making sexually oriented comments to the operators. Unfortunately, this was not the first time Mr. Hobbs had engaged in said activity. He’s been arrested a total of three times for it, including once in 2007. You’ll find the whole shocking story here…
Make Sure They’re Keeping it Together
It would be easy for an operator to lose his cool and lash out rudely at someone making a frivolous 911 call. After all, they’re tying up a phone line when someone with a legitimate emergency may not be able to get through. Grace under pressure is the expected response, though. Especially since recordings of these crazy calls often end up in the media. Better for the caller to be remembered than the call taker.
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Last Updated on October 19, 2020