Service dog story
Very cute story, although it's a bit of a read. Amazing what dogs can be trained to do.
Very cute story, although it's a bit of a read. Amazing what dogs can be trained to do.
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The dog who dialled 911
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They sure do drag out the story but it really is amazing what animals can do. I'm glad there was a happy ending! 
Wow. That is truly incredible. I think dogs are largely under-respected for their potential to help people.
I think there is great potential for a TV series.
Lassie meets ER. The worlds first hospital run by animals
Lassie meets ER. The worlds first hospital run by animals
I am a Police & Fire Dept dispatcher and every day I answer dozens of 911 calls. I have certainly heard my share of dogs, cats, and babies on the other end! Not to preach or anything, but for every call like this -- we answer hundreds of other unnecessary 911 calls. The biggest culprit (by far!) are people who pre-program 911 on their cell phone speed dial. With many cell phones, all you need to do is hold one of the buttons down for just a second and it will autodial that number. And I have answered 911 calls like this from people sitting on their cell phones, moving furniture, having sex, doing aerobics -- pretty much name it! So PLEASE do me and all the other 911 dispatchers in the world a HUGE favor -- delete 911 from all your speed dial buttons. Cell phones and landline phones. Thanks!
Since you offered up the info; maybe you could answer a question of mine.eRondeau said:
When I dial 911 where/what am I calling? Is it a "911 dispatch center," or is it a fire station or police station or what? I am asking because my local news station just did a story of Fire Station response times, and they said it is actually faster when not using a cell phone, because when 911 is dialed on a cell phone, is goes to a different place than a landline. Where you work, you obviously handle both calls from Landline and Wireless. How does this whole system work?
And thank you for doing the job you do, the world couldn't live without you.
EricNau said:
Thanks for the vote of support, much appreciated!
The actual location where 911 calls are answered is pretty much up to the politicians. The place that answers your call first is known as a "P-PSAP" or a "Primary Public Service Answering Point". Once the P-PSAP calltaker determines what your emergency is, and what services need to respond, they will then transfer your call to the appropriate dispatch centers. These could be anywhere in your county, and your exact location depends which dispatch centre you are put through to. In large cities there may be several police / fire / ambulance dispatch centers that need to sort it all out. Smaller municipalities might have an "amalgamated dispatch", meaning the same people in the same room handle everything. (In my region of 110,000 people, I work at a 911 P-PSAP and dispatch police and fire but not ambulance.) Very small towns will pay a larger center to answer their 911 calls, as it is often cheaper in the long run compared to staffing 24/7. And here in Canada, our Bell telephone system offers a "neutral" 911 answering service for small towns that basically diverts all 911 calls from those towns to Bell operators who determine the nature of the emergency and then route the call back to that emergency service dispatch centre. (I'm not sure if a similar service exists in the states?) It is an amazing sequence of events, that happens very very quickly and reliably... and the only thing that can really screw it all up -- is if you aren't where you think you are.
That's exactly why calling 911 from a landline is more foolproof than calling from a cell phone. Call 911 from a landline (residence/office/payphone) and I'll see on my screen EXACTLY where you are, guaranteed. Call from a cell phone, though, and it can become a guessing game. The major problem is that there's no guarantee your cell phone signal will be picked-up by the closest cell tower. Especially near dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere does weird things to radio signals. So for example, I might see that you are talking off a tower in one town, when in reality you're 30 miles away. Cell phone GPS is coming fast, but it's still a work in progress, so if you're not sure where you are ("Geez, I passed a McDonald's half an hour ago.") 911 calltakers tend to get a little stressed. (This is why GM's GPS-based OnStar system rocks, from an emergency services perspective.)
So like I said, the 911 system is amazing and I (for one) sleep very well at night knowing it's there. Calling from a landline phone will guarantee you the most foolproof service possible; if you can't, be sure you know where you are. I'll try to find a link that answers a lot more questions about it.
eRondeau said:
Thanks. One more question. Do alarm companies go through you, or do they skip right to the Fire Station (or whatever it may be).
I'm asking because I have Brinks Home Security (not sure if they offer it in Canada) and they have Panic buttons for Fire, Police, and medical. If there is an emergency, which do you think I should do; should I press one of these buttons, or call 911?
I am a very curious person in case you haven't figured it out.
Thanks again.
EricNau said:
Good question. As far as I know, there are very few burglar or fire alarms "hardwired" to the dispatch centers anymore. Virtually all of them are now monitored by a private security company. When there's a "hit" on an alarm, the monitoring company operator calls the predetermined dispatch center directly. This must be on a non-911 line. For a burglar alarm they will call the police dispatch center; for a fire or CO alarm they will call the fire dispatch center. They are often given "back door" numbers that the public doesn't know, but answering their calls will still be considered lower priority than answering 911 lines on a busy night. The police calltaker, for example, will ask the alarm company operator details about the address, the distinction of the alarm (glass break/motion/door entry), the number of signals, and occupant and keyholder information. I can generally complete a police alarm incident in 45-55 seconds. I will then take a look at the history we've had at that address in order to determine the probability that this is a "real" alarm, and advise my dispatcher accordingly. For example, three glass break signals at a jewelry store at 3am will be dispatched much differently than a single interior motion sensor at a private residence at 10am, when the last 25 times it was triggered by the family dog. (Don't laugh, your local police service responds to hundreds of false alarms a year, many triggered by pets, cleaning ladies, or the wind!)
If I were you, I'd call 911 in person before I'd push the panic button. That phone will be your direct link to the people coming to help you, without the built-in delay of a third party operator. If, however, you're locked in the bathroom without a phone while the burglars ransack your bedroom, by all means push the panic button and keep pushing it repeatedly until help arrives.
Thanks. That's kinda what I thought. And if I'm ever locked in a bathroom while my bedroom is being ransacked - I'm screwed because those panic buttons are at my front door and in my bedroom. Maybe I could yell to one of the burglars to hit it for meeRondeau said:
Second thoughts, I could have my dog hit it for me