This morning I tried to call a friend in Sacramento, and started to dial her area code, 916. Well, my office phone is getting old and now I find that I have to press the buttons extra hard to get them to register. Well, as I was dialing I noticed that some numbers weren't registering and some were registering double, so I hung up and dialed again. As it turned out, my friend wasn't home and I left her a quick message.
Moments later, my phone rang. It was a police dispatcher. "We've received a 911 hang up call from this number," she said. "Is everything okay?" I realized that my "1" button had registered twice as I tried to dial 916, so I'd accidentally dialed 9116 before I'd hung up. I thanked the dispatcher for checking, apologized for the false call, but explained that it was my phone acting weird and I hadn't meant to dial 911.
Well, just minutes later Caroline came running up to my office (where I was engrossed in sewing) and said that daddy needed me downstairs right away. I headed downstairs, where I found a police officer in our living room. "We got a 911 call from Diane," he said, "and I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Turns out that even tho I had confirmed for the dispatcher that it was a mistake, officers check on 911 calls in person to verify. The officer wasn't going to take Roger's word for it that I was fine, without seeing me. I reassured him that it WAS an accidental dial, and he left.
Isn't it nice to know that a 911 one call (even an accidental one) gets this much assistance?
OK! They came because I called them! Heh heh! You have disappeared from blogland for a week with nary a reason. You have not returned my e-mails. You didn't answer your phone when I called. Your cell phone went directly to messages. I called Janet - she wasn't home so I called Pat and told her to check up on you. She said she hadn't heard from you in over a week, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting a telepathic message.... Hmmm, I see a new telephone in your future ....
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ReplyDeleteI used to have an old phone that actually had one button that would dial 911. Once my toddler got a hold of it and just like you, they were at our house in seconds! We do live in a great country. And yes, that phone didn't last long in our house after that! :)
ReplyDeleteIf it were a TV show, you would be standing at the phone, explaining how you had accidentally called 911, then the camera would back away so we could see the evil-looking man twisting your arm behind your back and holding a knife to your throat.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the police are onto that old trick!
If it were a TV show, you would be standing at the phone, explaining how you had accidentally called 911, then the camera would back away so we could see the evil-looking man twisting your arm behind your back and holding a knife to your throat.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the police are onto that old trick!
If it were a TV show, you would be standing at the phone, explaining how you had accidentally called 911, then the camera would back away so we could see the evil-looking man twisting your arm behind your back and holding a knife to your throat.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the police are onto that old trick!
You are very lucky to live in an area that follows up. I once tried to call 911...I had locked my keys in the car while my two little ones were buckeled into their carseats. It was 100+ degrees out and I was in a panic. I got a busy signal and never did get through. I finally got through to the fire department after calling them directly, but was close to breaking out a window.
ReplyDeleteWow we would never get that kind of attention here in Australia!
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