Greg Ingram
\nSpecial to In Motion<\/p>\n
How many of you have ever called 911? How many of you know what a true emergency is? Better yet, my question to you is, how do you determine an emergency situation from a non-emergency situation? According to 911.gov, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the emergency line was introduced in 1968 as a universal number for obtaining assistance.<\/p>\n
But more and more frequently, calls to 911 do not involve true emergencies, which creates a heavy burden on the system. What would happen if someone truly needed emergency aid and it was unavailable due to misuse? For this reason, it is my belief that society should be better informed and educated on when to call 911, as well as given sufficient alternatives of aid and transport. These changes would enhance 911 services for those in need of emergency care and benefit the non-emergency needs of others.<\/p>\n
Public officials in the 1960s realized that communities needed a universal, easy to remember phone number to contact in case of an emergency event. The general purpose of the 911 system is to connect the public with immediate emergency assistance over the phone and appropriately send police, fire department, and\/or ambulance services to help those in need. Law enforcement protects and carries out the laws of society. Meanwhile, fire department and ambulance companies work hand-in-hand to provide medical care and property conservation. At 911\u2019s inception, officials immediately raised public awareness of the system. Their efforts were greatly effective, possibly too effective.<\/p>\n
Because the average person is rarely confronted with an emergency situation, it is sometimes difficult for them to identify true emergencies and harbor false expectations of what 911 is designed to do.
\nRana Sampson states in her online article, \u201cMisuse and Abuse of 911,\u201d that the problems associated with the 911 system can be broken down into the following main categories: intentional 911 calls, non-emergency calls, prank calls, and even lonely calls. Some of these abuses are caused by a lack of 911 education, no alternative means of aid and transportation, or blatant disregard of the system.<\/p>\n
Alex Johnson also opens the eyes of those ignorant to the 911 problems in his NBC News article, \u201c911 Systems Choking on Non-emergency Calls.\u201d He mentions absurd 911 calls, such as a man from Jacksonville, who calls 911 because a Subway sandwich artist forgot the mayo and mustard. Then, there was another man from Waco, Texas, who called 15 times because he couldn\u2019t get a cab to take him home. Lastly, there was an individual in Knoxville, Tennessee, who wanted an officer to go through McDonald\u2019s drive through and grab him a hamburger. Such inappropriate and dangerous misuse of 911 can be expected to continue and grow in the future unless changes are made.<\/p>\n
There are three key components that should be implemented or improved. First, educating society on proper 911 use is incredibly important. An active robbery or house fire, a critical medical issue such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or uncontrolled bleeding, are all perfect examples of true emergencies. Many are unaware that calling for non-emergency reasons tie up critical resources needed elsewhere. Here in Florida, Pinellas County has hired public educators and coordinators to teach the public dos and don\u2019ts of calling 911.<\/p>\n
Another resolution, although more costly, is a 311 system which has been adopted by a few, larger, overburdened areas like Orange County, Florida. With help from the government, Orange County implemented the 311 system, which is basically the non-emergency version of 911. This freed emergency personnel from less critical calls and shortened response times to emergency situations.<\/p>\n
The availability of transport companies such as Logisticare, that is widely popular throughout the states for transport to hospitals for non-emergency reasons, also lightens the load. Unfortunately, there will always be individuals that have no respect for rules or others\u2019 well-being. These radiant \u2018stars of society\u2019 are being dealt with firsthand by law enforcement. First time offenders can be given a simple warning, while repeated offenders face pricey fines and even jail time. Ultimately there should be no mercy for abusers. Their lack of respect, or boredom, can result in someone else\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
Of course, there will always be some constraints for changing such a large and delicate system. The numbers 9-1-1 are uploaded into our brains at a very young age, and it would take some time to implement an alternative to this widely known number. Finances and resources will also be a major issue. Who is going to pay for the alternative resources?<\/p>\n
Another issue with advising people to call a number other than 911 is that it is becoming a regular occurrence for people to sue for malpractice or neglect with the help of our country\u2019s legal system. There have been documented cases of misfortune where patients were classified as non-emergency, when in reality, their situation was very dire. Regardless of the relatively few negative effects, the benefits of fixing the 911 system is a life or death decision.<\/p>\n
Would you be happy if it took emergency personnel longer to get to your loved one in need of help because someone prank-called 911?<\/p>\n
Society desperately needs to be better informed and educated on when to call 911, as well as given sufficient alternatives of aid and transport. Ultimately these changes would improve 911 services for those in need of emergency care, and benefit the non-emergency needs of others.<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> Greg Ingram, a DSC student, works as an Emergency Medical Technician in Central Florida and deals daily with the frustrating misuse of the 911 system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greg Ingram Special to In Motion How many of you have ever called 911? How many of you know what a true emergency is? Better yet, my question to you is, how do you determine an emergency situation from a non-emergency situation? According to 911.gov, sponsored by the U.S. Department Continue reading 911: Make sure it\u2019s an emergency<\/span>