999 call

mobby

How about this for a laugh http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/7616451.stm

Karoma

The article lists other times that '999' has been misused/abused. Most of the time, it seems people are just too lazy or ignorant to find their local station number. Perhaps it shows a requirement for non-emergency emergency-services line?

Oh and this one still has me wondering about humanity: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7489457.stm

bryanmurr

A girl i trained with works in Garda Control and was telling me about the woman in South County Dublin who rang 999 to complain about the sirens on the couple of patrol cars going to a panic alarm because they were disturbing her game of tennis!!!

TheNog

I have had many of these, in fact most of the 999 calls are not genuine at all.

Last week a gentleman called the station on the 999 phone to ask why he had been arrested the night before!!!!

Another call was from a Sergeant (a tight fecker) from another district looking for the number of the county council. Told him to ring directory enquiries instead of 999. He then rang the normal station phone and asked to speak with my sergeant who proceeded to give me a lecture till I told him the real story

Random

Clear time wasters should be punished for wasting resources.

There are some grey areas though are there not? If you're in a RTA and there's no apparenty injurys but you want the Guards to attend - are you supposed to call 11811 and get a station number or call 999 ?

Eru

Random wrote: »

Clear time wasters should be punished for wasting resources.

There are some grey areas though are there not? If you're in a RTA and there's no apparenty injurys but you want the Guards to attend - are you supposed to call 11811 and get a station number or call 999 ?

I suppose you would need to define whats within emergency services remit which seems to include more and more lately. Basically I get cranky when people ask me about things which have absolutely nothing to do with the police or when they inform me that the burglary in their house last month was reported, to their insurance company. My usual response is too hand them back their insurance claim form and tell them their insurance company can investigate then.

But seriously, what do we cover and what do we not? Everyday I get handed photocopies of passports, ID, college qualifications and told that such and such said I have to verify its a true copy. Then theres ML10s proving someones identity for bank accounts. When and why did this become something the Gardai handle and how the hell can I verify your identity or the photocopy of your id anymore than the bloody person thats asking for it?????

jt123456

I have only ever made one 999 call in my life. It was when in england and i was convinced the next door neighbours was being burgled. When the lad answered and says "999 whats your emergeny?" I just said "police please" and i was transferred to what seemed to be a control centre straight away. The next woman seemed very laid back and took the details as normal and said someone will be over right away, (30 minutes later they turned up). I was always under the impression that 999 operators were just sitting in a call centre and just transfer you to the police, fire department, ambulance, mountain rescue etc.... depending on what is needed.

Eru

cmcskeane wrote: »

I have only ever made one 999 call in my life. It was when in england and i was convinced the next door neighbours was being burgled. When the lad answered and says "999 whats your emergeny?" I just said "police please" and i was transferred to what seemed to be a control centre straight away. The next woman seemed very laid back and took the details as normal and said someone will be over right away, (30 minutes later they turned up). I was always under the impression that 999 operators were just sitting in a call centre and just transfer you to the police, fire department, ambulance, mountain rescue etc.... depending on what is needed.

Yes that would be about right but a lot of people call 999, statons direct or simple walk in for the lamest reasons. People complaining their Whopper is cold is a usual one on a Saturday night.

TheNog

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

Yes that would be about right but a lot of people call 999, statons direct or simple walk in for the lamest reasons. People complaining their Whopper is cold is a usual one on a Saturday night.

or "they won't let me into the nite club. Will ye come down and tell them to let me in?" It might be funny if they weren't serious

or this one

"guard there is a field gate open out onto the road and its very dangerous. Someone could crash into it and get hurt". CAN YOU NOT CLOSE THE GATE YOURSELF!!!!!!!!

"No I can't cos I'm in a hurry"

Bloody drives me mad

Eru

TheNog wrote: »

or "they won't let me into the nite club. Will ye come down and tell them to let me in?" It might be funny if they weren't serious

or this one

"guard there is a field gate open out onto the road and its very dangerous. Someone could crash into it and get hurt". CAN YOU NOT CLOSE THE GATE YOURSELF!!!!!!!!

"No I can't cos I'm in a hurry"

Bloody drives me mad

Yes yes yes, all classics

"Guard theres a man on the road. Hes either asleep or hurt but Im worried about him"

Well then ring an ambulance! I cant arrest someone for being asleep

TheNog

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

Well then ring an ambulance! I cant arrest someone for being asleep

But we can't say that cos then they'll say "The guards don't care".


People can be so stupid

Paulzx

We used to all do few hours a day taking 999 calls in Tara St before the new control room system came in. The worst thing about the stupid calls was that generally they were not one off ie the same crap was happening regularly

e.g

" I need an ambulance"


- " whats the problem"


" there's a man lying on the ground outside Murphy's shop on Baggot st"

Ambulance then arrives up to Baggot st and finds nothing.
Control room rings concerned citizen back

-" You rang for an ambulance for a man on the gound in Baggot st. Can you tell me were he is now."



" I'm sorry but i've no idea"


-" But you told us he was in Baggot st"



" Oh, i seen him from the top of the 46A bus as we were going by and now i'm in Finglas. I just thought i'd better call an ambulance":mad:




Also, the public don't seem to realise that homeless people sleep on the streets ( obviously due to the fact they're homeless:rolleyes:)



The amount of homeless people i've disturbed from a nice kip in a doorway at four in the morning when on the ambo due to idiots phoning in that there is a man lying in the ground is unbelievable. The fact he's covered in blankets and snoring his head off seems to go over they're head.

Then again i suppose they pay our wages;)

CLADA

True story I was this Garda:D

Ring Ring

Me: Hello ***** Garda Station

Male Caller: Will you send somebody to ****** Straight away.

Me: Whats the problem?

Male Caller: The kids won't go to bed for me.

Politely told it wasn't a Garda matter.

Callers wife called to station the following day to explain that her husband, like a lot of people, frequently used the threat of "the Gards" on his sons.

"If you don't go to bed I'll call the Gards",

Only this clown believed he could.

Fyr.Fytr

If you read the paramedics diary blog youd see the amount of "frequent flyers" who use nusiance 999 calls to LAS, sometimes up to 4-5 times a shift its crazy.

Taking people off the 999, hmm i can understand what your getting at but what if it turned into a boy who cried wolf situation, i know i know its a pain in the arse going to these calls, but surely all calls should be treated as if they were serious "prepare for the worst and hope for the best"




DISCLAIMER: This post reflects the views of a civilian, with and intrested in the workings of the emergency services and not those of actual serving members

Fyr.Fytr

I didnt mean it that way metman, dont take me litreally in that repeact.

Ok then "I know from what i have read and been told its a pain in the arse and a waste of rescources going to these calls" happy?

Eru

metman wrote: »

Here we can submit a report to have such a person taken off the 999 system, and in fact did in this case. Not sure if that's an option in the Republic? But for those who readily abuse the service in the UK, we can pull the plug if you insist on taking the p*ss.

Im not aware of anything anyway. We have a person that rings 4 or 5 times a day to make complaints against the Gardai and politicians (serious complaints not the usual stuff). Mad as a brush but unfortunately as a result of her ways the local kids do hassle her so now and again the calls are serious.

On an episode of Streetcrime there was a guy calling for an ambulance every week because he lived beside the hospital. I voiceover guy said he was cautioned or something similar.

deadwood

Any of the Fire/Ambulance Service got a rough percentage of how many calls are hoax or nuisance ones? A huge waste of time and risk to life.
There seems to be a pretty high profile ad campaign in Northern Ireland against making hoax calls, have they had any effect?

Gavin

Interesting opportunity for a research project combining voice stress analysis, language used, background noise etc to determine the probability that calls are fake or not. Train it up on the library of fake calls and genuine calls. Give the operator a rough meter describing probability of 'fakeness'. They can then take a more aggressive interrogatory approach to try and determine if it's fake.

Probably been done already.

deadwood

Ah yes.
I remember our crowd did this in the late 90's in Command and Control. It was a mess of bean tins, string and permanent markers.

Paulzx

Verb wrote: »

Interesting opportunity for a research project combining voice stress analysis, language used, background noise etc to determine the probability that calls are fake or not. Train it up on the library of fake calls and genuine calls. Give the operator a rough meter describing probability of 'fakeness'. They can then take a more aggressive interrogatory approach to try and determine if it's fake.

Probably been done already.

An experienced calltaker generally knows which ones are fake. There are some obvious pointers to some hoax calls eg. no sim card in a mobile. However, a response still has to be sent unless the person becomes very abusive on the phone. We often turn out and are told via radio that it is a suspected hoax call.

Other obvious ones are when you have a childs voice on the phone and they claim they are 34 when you ask them their age. They then don't give a correct year of birth when you ask them that. A response still has to be sent unless they tell you to F**k off etc.