Senior citizens learn how, when to call 911

Representatives from the Scurry County Sheriff’s Office visited the Scurry County Senior Citizens’ Center Thursday to speak about how and when to call 911.
Deputy Jeanette Pritchard, the dispatch supervisor at the Scurry County Sheriff’s Office, and dispatcher Jenna Quick discussed ways to handle emergency situations.
They told those in attendance what qualifies as an emergency. If it is an emergency, Quick said it helps dispatchers when callers give four basic pieces of information.
“It starts with where your emergency is,” Quick said. “Our dispatchers can tell where a call is coming from if it’s on a landline, but if it’s a mobile device, we don’t know the exact location so pay attention to your surroundings. Secondly, tell us what the emergency is as best and quickly as you can. Third, we ask for the person’s name. Studies have shown people tend to calm down when they are referred to by name. Finally, we ask what phone number they are calling from. That way, if we are somehow disconnected and need to call the person back, we know how to reach them.”
Quick said it is important for the caller to remain calm and not get frustrated if the dispatcher asks the caller to repeat information. In emergency situations, people can often become hysterical and sometimes give the wrong information, she said. Repeating it helps law enforcement better understand the situation.
Pritchard said callers sometimes become frustrated when dispatchers continue to ask for information and not seem to be responding to the emergency.
“Once dispatch knows your emergency and location, they dispatch help immediately,” Pritchard said. “The reality is, the phones are ringing off the hook. We have five regular lines, five 911 lines and fire department and EMS lines roll over. So our dispatchers are trying to answer numerous calls, often pertaining to the same situation.”
Pritchard and Quick said 911 hang-ups are one of the problems dispatchers face on a regular basis.
Many times, a caller will accidentally dial 911 and hang up before providing information. Dispatchers must call the number back and attempt to make contact with the caller in case there is an actual emergency.
“If you call 911 by mistake, don’t hang up, just stay on the line and let us know it was an accident,” Quick said. “If you hang up, we have to call you back and investigate and that ties up one of our emergency lines. We need to keep those lines open in case of actual emergencies.”
Pritchard said a new way to contact law enforcement has been introduced in other counties and could be available in Scurry County by the end of the month.
Pritchard said residents will be able to contact emergency responders by text message. A 911 text system is designed to help those in emergency situations who are unable to make a phone call.