Sad and Disturbing 911

[BlaqueKatt]

The thing is, we NEED emergency (911, 999, 000, whatever) operators with heart. What's needed is the ability to cope during the emergency and have the break down afterwards;

it wasn't meant as "they should be heartless" the context of that statement was to a poster that claimed "nothing could shock them-because they have the internets"-If someone that killed people for a living, and was blown up themselves-has a breakdown-someone's who only exposure to human cruelty/sickness is via the disconnect of the internet-you are not prepared in any manner to deal with actual crisis

[vstorevigilante]

I'm a small, easily terrified 21 year old girl (I can't even justify saying "woman" yet, it still feels wrong), who is just getting used to living alone in her first apartment, and reading that OP not only has me shaking with fear and unable to sleep now, but that is absolutely heartbreaking.

[phantasy]

This story reminds me of something I heard on the news, probably close to a year ago now. Anyone can correct me if I have the details wrong.

In australia, a young man had gone out hiking in the wild and ended up getting lost. It was summer, he had no water and he ended up getting sick. He made multiple calls to 911, or whatever number it is for Australia, and spoke with a representative.

However, the rep kept asking him "where are you located?" becuase their system needed to put in a physical address to send out an ambulance or other emergency vehicle. Without this information, it was impossible to help the man.

But he didn't have any physical address. He was in the middle of nowhere. Thus, no vehicle was sent out, and after multiple calls ending in the same way, the man died. It was on the global news for weeks after, exploiting the flaw that the emergency systems had in Australia.


On another note, I used to have to call 911 quite often, as my grandmother was a crazy drunk. She would fall down some stairs or something, or end up having alcohol poisoning. I remember one particularly scary time that I called 911

I was watching t.v. and I hear some thudding outside. I'm alone with her at home, so I knew that something had happened with her. Turns out that she had fallen down an entire flight of wooden stairs -(it was outside, on our deck) and hit her head on the concrete below. Amazing that she was still alive.
I ended up holding an umbrella over my grandmother while it started lightly raining, phone in other hand with 911 call and trying to remember what medications she took so I could tell the dispatcher.

[Andara Bledin]

I ended up holding an umbrella over my grandmother while it started lightly raining, phone in other hand with 911 call and trying to remember what medications she took so I could tell the dispatcher.

That is also a good reminder that anyone who has a family member that takes medications should have a list of all current medications for all family members somewhere handy, like the inside of the medicine cabinet, or similar.

^-.-^

[telecom_goddess]

That is also a good reminder that anyone who has a family member that takes medications should have a list of all current medications for all family members somewhere handy, like the inside of the medicine cabinet, or similar.

^-.-^

I hadn't thought of that...but yeah would be a good idea

As for being a 911 dispatcher...I know someone who does that for a living, and has for quite a while now. I could NOT do that job. I would want to shoot myself every single day....or I would have a stroke from the stress.

I applaud people who can do it and have the desire.....but it's not for me.

[Evil Queen]

I once applied for a dispatch job. I didn't get it but a woman I know did. She told me the hardest part of the job was the lack of closure at the end of the calls. She never knew if the person that was calling was helped or not and sometimes it was downright scary.

She didn't last in that job for very long. I don't think a lot of dispatchers do. The ones that do are usually amazingly strong people and/or are in therapy.