The second full week of April is National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week in the U.S., shining a spotlight on the dedication emergency dispatchers bring to the job every day.
And while the job can be stressful, there are also those occasions when the call that comes in is, well … unexpected, to put it mildly.
Take this 5-year-old, for example. Thankfully, everything in her case worked out fine, which makes it possible to enjoy her walking the operator through her father’s heart attack … just as calm as can be. She even takes the time to note that both she and her father “are in our jammies.” It might be the cutest medical emergency in history.
As matter of fact, let’s take a few moments and just enjoy the various things that small children feel must be reported to 911. They range from a kid snitching on his father for running a red light to a little girl trying to call her father and accidentally dialing 911 before yelling, “It’s Isabella! Please don’t come to my house!”
These are possibly some of the best “you-called-911-for-what?” calls you’re likely to hear. From incorrect McDonald’s orders, to advice for cooking turkey, to a man whose wife “is struggling to get her jacket off and can’t get it off. I want 911 here immediately.” There’s just no telling what some folks consider an emergency.
Sometimes a deeper dive is necessary. Here, the hosts of “Good Mythical Morning” debate some of the least necessary 911 calls of all time.
And finally… no one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. But for this mother dealing with an out-of-control preteen, the dispatcher’s attempt at dark humor was definitely a case of ‘wrong place, wrong time.’”