How to Get the Police's Attention

[Nickle]

This is not intended as an insult to LEO's, but we all know how hard it can be to get an officer or trooper. (Remember, I'm rural, very rural)

George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi was going up to bed when his wife
told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see
from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in your house?" and he said no.
Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock
his door and an officer would be along when available. George said, Okay," hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again.

" Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people in my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now cause
I've just shot them all." Then he hung up.

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response unit, and an
ambulance showed up at the Phillips residence. Of course, the police
caught them burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"

George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"

(True Story) I LOVE IT...

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Just like us don't count on 911. The times we have had to use it,it is faster to take someone to the hospital than it is to wait for the emt's,fire or police to show up. Joys of living in the sticks.(Still wouldn't trade it.) Just have to take into account.

 

[Lynne]

Just like us don't count on 911. The times we have had to use it,it is faster to take someone to the hospital than it is to wait for the emt's,fire or police to show up. Joys of living in the sticks.(Still wouldn't trade it.) Just have to take into account.

We live less than 1 minute from the hospital - the ambulance service is half the city away. The last time Ed had to take me to the hospital for chest pains, we got a stern talking to from the nurse that we didn't call the ambulance. I told her that if we had called the ambulance, they still wouldn't be at my house yet. She said, "...Oh."

 

[MrsWildweasel]

It will be an hour or more and that is if they show up.

 

[dwarven1]

I'm about a mile and a quarter from MFD's Station 2; and I don't know how long it took them to get here last Wednesday, but I think it was less than 5 minutes.

Since they came here with a pumper being led by two cruisers, I'd say that police response is pretty fast, too. They should be here just in time to remove any burglars I leave for them. [twisted]

Ross

 

[Republic of Mass]

As a 911 dispatcher in a town that has a non-full-time ambulance, I can understand where you're coming from.
We are central to 4 different hospitals, but there's no way, even with mutual-aid responce for rescue, that anyone could get their loved-ones to the hospital before us getting ALS to them. We've done intercepts before, but thats only if 911 was called once they are driving. We do whatever we can to keep them from leaving the house.

Anyways, answering that 911 call when you know rescue is 5 minutes (read 5-lifetimes) away durring a cardiac-arrest is hard, or the severed-limb of child, etc.

What you can all do is contact your police / fire chiefs and make sure their dispatchers are all EMD certified. EMS2000 (or EMS2001?) law makes it a requirement in Mass that anyone sitting at a 911 terminal be EMD certified.

What is EMD? Emergency Medical Dispatch. We can help 911 callers with pre-arrival basic emergency medical treatment: walk through CPR, childbirth, stroke, severe bleeding, etc. Although its a law, many departments have not come into compliance, and it's YOUR loss that they are not...

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Can you say volunteer EMT's,part-time police department,volunteer fire department,no ambulances,then you have our town.

 

[C-pher]

I do have to say, the responce in our town is great. When my wife hemmoraged after our first, they were here in just a few minutes.

And when we were broken into, the officer was at our house pretty fast as well. But, when I called I also said that I called a friend thats a NA officer as well. So I don't konw if that made a difference.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

This actually happened....I should also point out we live right in the center of town. Kid from the top of the hill took his car for a ride down the road to see how his speakers sounded since he just put them in. He had another friend in the car. As they were coming back up the road the rear end literally fell out. His rear axels almost went in the brook,car flipped in front of my house,both kids thrown out of car. Alan was upstairs,and I was in the den.(Had a broken foot) I didn't know I could move so fast with a broken foot,yelled at Alan to grab the portable phone call 911. I was first on the scene. One kid was unconscious,the other bleeding from head wounds and a cut to the arm, and complaining of back pain. (I should also point out they were wearing seat belts,and were not speeding) Got a towel on the head wound,applied pressure,had son keep talking to him,so I could take care of the other kid,who was now coming around and complaining of neck pain,etc. It was about 20 minutes before one of the town EMT's showed up and he lives about less than a 1/4 of a mile. At this point I told him to take care of the kid my son was talking to. I had to keep the other one talking to me so he wouldn't pass back out. Took ambulances over an hour to show up and other Emt's had to meet them to bring them to the center. Thankfully the kids weren't in as bad a shape as they could have been. (Yes,hubby and I are also EMT trained and I have to get certified again) Son actually said to me I actually knew what I was doing since I was barking orders at him.Telling him what to do. Had to keep him from lighting a cigarette since the car was leaking gas. The kid that was unconscious I really felt bad for he didn't want to go in the ambulance by himself,and thankfully the guys that showed up on that rig were ones I knew and took my EMT course with,so I could reaasure him. The kid came back the next day and thanked me which was really nice. This is what you have to take into account living out in the sticks.

 

[Nickle]

The town I live in has no police department, we get the county Sheriif, or the State Police. In my part of the state, there's usually 2 Troopers to cover 13 towns, and that's BOTH sides of the ridgline of the Green Mountains. Ambulance service is better, since we've got 3 choices. THough the ambulance may be a little slow, the hospital more than makes up for it, unless you go to Burlington, then you're going to wait, after the 30-45 minute trip there.

For serious crimes, the 911 call gets the Trooper coming to investigate the crime. Good thing most of us have guns. I do have to say, the State Troopers do an AWESOME job, considering the obstacles. They respond fairly quick. In the case of a traffic accident, one of the nearby towns will probably respond, plus the Fire Department. And our FD's up here are great.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

If none of our police are on duty you'll get one of the staties.

 

[Republic of Mass]

If none of our police are on duty you'll get one of the staties.

Good ol' troop B boys! [sarcasm]Where they learn how to be real cops [/sarcasm]

 

[dwarven1]

This actually happened....[snip] I was first on the scene.[snip] The kid came back the next day and thanked me

OK, now here's MY hero. Way to go, MrsWW!!

Ross

 

[Nickle]

Mrs WW thanks for doing your "civil duty", and I see the lad was raised right and had the manners to come thank you.

Yup, you would fit in up here.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Yeah, and I didn't know I could move so fast with a broken foot. [lol] I also held on to his pocket knife for him so he wouldn't have to deal with that at the hospital. If I could have gone with the kid I would have. Our son knew the kids too,it scared him off of his license too.

 

[dwarven1]

Yeah, and I didn't know I could move so fast with a broken foot. .

I can sympathize... I have a problem with one of the tendons in my left foot... but that didn't stop me from sprinting across the street last Wednesday. [oops] Honestly, I didn't even think about it.

Course, since they put me in a walking cast on Monday, that might slow me down a little now...

Ross

 

[MrsWildweasel]

I can sympathise. I had the shoe thingy.Pain in my butt. I couldn't work for a couple of months too,had t stay off of it as much as possible. The break was where your foot and ankle come together. The fun part was I broke it out in WA state the night before I was to fly home. Crammed it into a sneaker,had to take it off to go through airport security, and hope and pray I could get my foot back into said sneaker for the rest of my flight home. Then a day after I was home went to the DR. Yeah I know, I know. I knew too when I was out in WA it was broken too. I heard it.

 

[MrsWildweasel]

Now remember to do everything the DR's tell you.