911 – How to Get Police, Fire Department, EMS Attention When You Need It

911 – How to Get the Police’s Attention When You Need It

By Gunnar Sommerfeldt

Those of you that have ever listened to a 911 call recording will know that it’s not always easy for the dispatcher to understand what is going on at the other end of that line. It comes down to bad reception, bad language skills, bad organization and a lack of understanding on both ends of where the other is coming from, so to speak.

Every day, 911 dispatchers get unintelligible calls that are either hysterical, disjointed or spoken in a language or dialect the operator can’t understand, resulting in the sad fact that the person who has called 911 won’t get the help that is needed.
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Small matters tend to get prioritized down, even if the resources are there to deal with them, and that is mostly to blame on the caller. So how are you supposed to get the dispatcher’s attention, and get them to send you some assistance? Just a few small steps to think about will get you a patrol car or two even if resources are stretched, and here they are.

– Always speak calmly. If you don’t, you might come across as hysterical, and even if your emergency is real, being hysterical will only get you penalty time.

– Follow a logical step-by-step progression in everything you are saying. Start with a salutation, i.e. “Good morning”, “good evening” or similar. You get the picture. State your name – “My name is … “.

– Give the person at the other end 2-3 seconds to respond. If they do not, state in a calm voice what your problem is, and where. Do it in this sequence: Where, what and when. For example; “I am at Hill Road and Main junction. A large tanker truck has collided with a bus, and both vehicles are on fire. There are persons in both vehicles, number unknown. The collision was approximately four minutes ago.”.

– Trust the dispatcher. He or she will know what type of response is appropriate. Never argue with or interrupt the dispatcher.

– Always comply with the dispatcher’s instructions. If you are not able to comply, state why quickly, and let the dispatcher give you new instructions.

– Always thank the dispatcher before you or they hang up the phone. A quick “Thank you” is enough.
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Prepare for the next time you have to call 911. Write a small “cheat-sheet” that you can use, and keep it in your wallet or purse. It should read something like this:

1: Salutation

2: Name

3: Where – What – When

4: Listen to instructions or questions

5: Thank you

This little “how-to” will help you with anything from a cat up a tree to tanker trucks on fire in the street. Or even if you’ve been mugged or drugged or robbed or if there’s a strange noise outside your window.

SnallaBolaget.com is a public and private resource for security information, being added to every day and run by experienced security professionals.
G. Sommerfeldt is closing on a decade of security experience in both private and public sector, and has been a security supervisor and manager for several of those years.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gunnar_Sommerfeldt

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