Tell me again why I should call 911???
We're all familiar with the life-saving phone number, 911. I always imagine very well-trained professionals answering the line, ready to calm you and connect you with the right people to help solve your problem.
I should start by saying that I drive into work starting at around 6:15. Being so far west in the eastern time zone guarantees that it will be dark over half of the year when I drive in.
A couple of weeks ago I was in the left lane in some bumper to bumper traffic. The car in front of me swerved slightly to the right. I couldn't see why and there was a car to the right of me so I didn't swerve. I'm pretty sure it was the legs of a dead deer that I ran over. The tires seemed okay, but I was worried that it would cause an accident. That's when I got the bright idea to call 911. Here's my (loose) version of the transcript of my call.
Operator: Hello?
Me: Is this 911?
Operator: Yes
Me: Oh, well, I just wanted to report a dead deer in the road that I just ran over. It's in the passing lane south of Grand Haven between Robbins Road and Hayes Street.
Operator: Was this today?
Me: Yes, it just happened.
Operator: Where is it?
Me: (Getting pretty exasperated) South of Grand Haven, between Robbins Road and Hayes Street. I thought someone should get it out of the way of traffic.
I really don't remember what she said after that. I'm glad I wasn't being robbed or raped or something. On the other hand, it might've pissed me off enough that I would've beaten the crap out of the idiot.
I should start by saying that I drive into work starting at around 6:15. Being so far west in the eastern time zone guarantees that it will be dark over half of the year when I drive in.
A couple of weeks ago I was in the left lane in some bumper to bumper traffic. The car in front of me swerved slightly to the right. I couldn't see why and there was a car to the right of me so I didn't swerve. I'm pretty sure it was the legs of a dead deer that I ran over. The tires seemed okay, but I was worried that it would cause an accident. That's when I got the bright idea to call 911. Here's my (loose) version of the transcript of my call.
Operator: Hello?
Me: Is this 911?
Operator: Yes
Me: Oh, well, I just wanted to report a dead deer in the road that I just ran over. It's in the passing lane south of Grand Haven between Robbins Road and Hayes Street.
Operator: Was this today?
Me: Yes, it just happened.
Operator: Where is it?
Me: (Getting pretty exasperated) South of Grand Haven, between Robbins Road and Hayes Street. I thought someone should get it out of the way of traffic.
I really don't remember what she said after that. I'm glad I wasn't being robbed or raped or something. On the other hand, it might've pissed me off enough that I would've beaten the crap out of the idiot.
Squirl chattered at 7:17 PM
26 comments
JDR, yeah, great false sense of security. ;)
I wonder if 911 uses the same answering service as my internet provider. I called to report our 3rd outage of the week and I swear when she answered, I heard the toilet flush.
*sigh*
Hi, Laurie, you wonder, sometimes, just who's answering the phone. It wouldn't surprise me if your internet provider help desk was staffed by people working from home.
At least with a toilet flush you know there's some action going on someplace. :)
Sometimes I think they ask you questions even though you've already answered them because they are following some sort of script. i.e. if someone calls about X you must ask them A, then B, then C.
I'm not sure, but it kind of seems that way.
It does make you wonder about if they'd be able to handle a distress call where you can't say much, doesn't it? But one time I was working somewhere (with labs) and the police showed up and checked on each person at the company, because they had a 911 hang up. That was sort of reassuring.
Glad you didn't run into any problems with the deer or the car next to you. :-)
Sounds like maybe you woke her up. Try calling back at a more convenient time. ;)
Kittn, yes we're going all Hello Kitty Ninja on WTF disease for Susie. Wanna joing the posse?
You should tell your 911 story, too.
Danielle, I hadn't thought about that. I think the fact that she answered the phone, "Hello", threw me right away. It needs to feel professional when I call an emergency number. We sure hope she's able to handle a true emergency!
Ladybug, tee hee. I think you summed up the whole problem right there. :D
Any chance of a photo? YPS!! needs a follow-up to the infamous rat photo.
Dang, Bone, I didn't get a picture. It was dark, I was in a hurry, and I probably would've been as dead as that deer if I'd gotten that close to rush hour traffic. I did almost take a picture of a dead possum in the road on Monday, though.
Mr B, but I'm not a deer killer. I only broke its legs. You see, it was behind on its loan-shark payments...
Deer-leg runner over.
Yes, Bucky, guilty as charged.
hangs head
It is exactly the same here, Squirl. One time I saw a very confused older man wandering along a dual carriageway at rush hour and called and they made me repeat everything several times and I got frustrated too because every second they were faffing about that poor old guy could have been hit by a car. Well done for keeping your cool!
I think you probably said "This is Squirl. I just ran over a deer." and it got turned over to their Gang Task Force.
Oh, Platypus, I might've lost it with them in your situation. Maybe they're just used to it all, but that sounds like an emergency to me.
Nils, if that's how they take care of gangs then I'm glad I've left Grand Rapids. :)
I've called 911 twice, for medical emergencies at my workplace.
The 1st time I called was when a roofer fell off the roof, and knocked himself out on the pavement. I told 911 the distance he fell, he was unconcious, no blood was visible, and PLEASE send an ambulance IMMEDIATELY.
They kept asking me detailed medical questions. I finally said: "If I was a friggin' doctor, I wouldn't need a damned ambulance!"
tshsmom, that's ridiculous. Why didn't they just send the ambulance??? A person could be dead by the time all of those questions are asked.
I’ve only had one experience with 911: when I was over come by the buildup smoke in my house when I was frying bacon. I found the response life saving. The 911 operator got the information quickly and stayed on the phone with me until the emergency people arrived. It only took about seven or eight minutes. Maybe Louisville’s 911 system is good because of a couple of royal screw-ups several years ago when it was first installed.
SS Nick, I'm so glad for you that Louisville's 911 was working properly for you. Your situation shows me exactly what I thought 911 was supposed to be.
Our 911 office originally was not even remotely close to our MAJOR city. It was out of another city 4 hours away. They never had a clue about the streets. Scary!
PC, you wonder what heck they're thinking sometimes???
Yipes. Maybe she has a fear of dead deer that temporarily fogged her hearing? Glad you weren't in danger!
Happy New Year, sis!
Eclectic, that's probably it. Yeah, good thing it wasn't really an emergency. :)
Happy New Year, to you, too!
Wow, she answered with "hello?” It should always be 911, what is your emergency?
That would blow me away and I would have given her a lecture on how to answer the phone. Well maybe not, but later I would have thought I should have told that woman the right way to answer a 911 call.
Glad you were safe and didn't need assistance.
well, you've certainly killed my annual urge to move back to Michigan!
Nina, she sure needed someone to teach her how to do her job. Thanks!
GWB, tee hee.
Who knew doing a good thing could be so frustrating. Kinda makes you think twice, huh?
Kranki, yeah. I've heard that no good deed goes unpunished. :)
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