911 - Please hold, all operators are busy.....

[Yup!]

Today during a medical emergency I was the first to dial 911. A lady had passed out and fell to the floor. About 5 people rushed to her aid and I instinctly pick up and dialed 911. Based on what I saw, I was easily the first person to place the call. There were about 200 of us in attendance.

Instead of a live operator, I received a recording. It said something to the effect of "we're busy, please don't hang up. Place the phone down and move to safety." Then the message played in Spanish. The loop played at least three times before I set the phone down to determine if I could be more helpful some other way. I'd estimated I was on hold for at least 2 minutes.

The lady came too and I reached to my phone to explain to the dispatcher what was going on. The line was dead. There was no operator on the other end.

After about 10 minutes an ambulance arrived and I met them at the entrance to direct them to where she was, I mentioned to the crew that I was on hold for about 3 minutes and they replied - "yup, that sounds like our dispatch"

This was a real emergency and I could not get an operator on 911. In addition had it been a much more serious emergency it would been a complete disaster.

After telling this story to a few friends in the know, they all seemed to agree that Marion County 911 is unable to handle the task. How do we get this elevated so that it gets fixed?

 

[Trigger Time]

Why do we have a new soccer field ? Someone explain it to me.
Marion county is a **** hole.

 

[chezuki]

I got the "Please hold on the line" message a few years ago when my truck was ON FIRE!! By the time an actual person answered, I had put the fire out myself. Didn't inspire a lot of faith in the system, but did reinforce the idea that I didn't want to have to rely on others for my safety.

 

[BiscuitNaBasket]

I've not had this happen in an emergency, but it has happened several times to me in the past when calling to report a drunk driver on the East side.

 

[One Shot One Kill]

Pretty much reinforces the ideas I've held for a while about government services (911, police, etc), that the only person who you should depend on for your safety are YOU and YOUR FAMILY/VERY CLOSE FRIENDS.
God forbid anyone is ever in a situation in which they need said services, God help them.

 

[halfmileharry]

Happened to me last week. I'm staying in town on the s.s. of indy and called 911 to report a car break in in progress. I was put on hold as well. 7 minutes later I got a response and a bunch of questions on how to direct my call.
Sorry for my stance on this...BUT the word that comes to mind is PATHETIC

 

[LEaSH]

The last time that I'd called 9-1-1 was about 4-5 years ago. It was on a weekday, probably before 7 PM in October (still daylight), so not typically a peak time as I'd expect from listening to scanner activity - but then again, emergencies are not really scheduled now are they? But no good excuse for what I got as a result:

I got the hold message back then also. English first, then spanish, then english again, then spanish again. All probably about a couple minutes on hold.

I was calling for a dumpster fire. Good thing I wasn't being raped or something! No excuse for that really.

Only other time I'd ever called 9-1-1 was in Lansing, MI. And that was an even worse experience. You think Indianapolis is a ****burg? Every major town in MI probably makes Indy seem like a boon of civilization...

 

[LEaSH]

Pretty much reinforces the ideas I've held for a while about government services (911, police, etc), that the only person who you should depend on for your safety are YOU and YOUR FAMILY/VERY CLOSE FRIENDS.
God forbid anyone is ever in a situation in which they need said services, God help them.

This guy knows it! (pretty much everyone on INGO does, too)

But if you think for a second that the cops can beat Jimmy John's sandwich delivery...

*I'm NOT bashing the responders. Please realize that. Cops, EMT's, Firefighters - they are all limited to the information they receive and the timeliness of that info.

 

[halfmileharry]

This guy knows it! (pretty much everyone on INGO does, too)

But if you think for a second that the cops can beat Jimmy John's sandwich delivery...

*I'm NOT bashing the responders. Please realize that. Cops, EMT's, Firefighters - they are all limited to the information they receive and the timeliness of that info.

Never questioned the responders for one second. It's the system that needs fixed.

 

[LEaSH]

Never questioned the responders for one second. It's the system that needs fixed.

Obviously.

I only noted that at the bottom of my post because I'd made the Jimmy-John's quip.

And as an aside: in Southfield, MI, JJ is indeed faster to the hotel than a previously made call to the police. And nobody was surprised that day.

 

[10-32]

This is why it's a good idea to get to know some of your neighbors. My neighbor across from me is an RN in the ICU at Methodist who works the opposite rotation of my wife, who is a Paramedic. My partner who is an EMT and a former Police officer like myself, only lives about a mile from me and is VERY pro gun. We all watch out for each other and when something happens we will call each other then 911.

 

[One Shot One Kill]

Never questioned the responders for one second. It's the system that needs fixed.

, they are only people after all. I have the utmost respect for law enforcement and people who serve this country sincerely, but they are only people after all and have limitations. It seems the system in place is the weak link here though, NOT the people.

 

[Yup!]

I got the "Please hold on the line" message a few years ago when my truck was ON FIRE!! By the time an actual person answered, I had put the fire out myself. Didn't inspire a lot of faith in the system, but did reinforce the idea that I didn't want to have to rely on others for my safety.

For sure - I already knew that, but yes, it was reinforced tonight for sure.

 

[Dead Duck]

Always carry backup.

 

[halfmileharry]

Any ideas on HOW to fix the system? Dump more money for more operators and equipment I guess?

 

[Bennettjh]

Wow that's bad.

Is she doing ok?;

 

[actaeon277]

Any ideas on HOW to fix the system? Dump more money for more operators and equipment I guess?

Start educating people that 911 is for emergencies, medical or police.
Fine people that don't get the message.
Ensure the equipment is up to the task.
Ensure manning levels are right.
Ensure personnel are properly trained.

 

[MrsGungho]

Start educating people that 911 is for emergencies, medical or police.
Fine people that don't get the message.
Ensure the equipment is up to the task.
Ensure manning levels are right.
Ensure personnel are properly trained.

problem being you can call the non-emergency line in Indy and they patch you through to 911.

We had a huge issue at work one day, called 911 and I had to had the phone off to someone else because I had been on hold so long. Would have been quicker for me to hit the silent alarm

 

[Yup!]

Wow that's bad.

Is she doing ok?;

yes I believe so.

 

[VUPDblue]

The Sheriff runs Public Safety Communications (PSC), including dispatch and control. They have a venue to air complaints: Internal Affairs

In a city like Indianapolis, being on hold for 911 is unacceptable. Call and complain, then call Raphael Sanchez.