Calling 911.....have you had to call?

[Ottakee]

I feel like I am a frequent flyer caller to 911. A few times the non emergency number but way too frequently the emergency one.

 

Tonight it was from my cell phone as I drove to MIL home. Followed the ambulance and now I am sitting in ER.

 

It seems like there are people out there that have never had to call 911, have the sheriff over, fire department, etc.

 

First time ever we had to call it was when 2 week old dd stopped breathing. Now it is mostly MIL related although I have called for loose horses in a major busy road....I think I called non emergency for that.

[Elizabeth86]

Never had too thank God. I wash with dh once and he called because we drive past a yard with an over turned lawn mowet with someones leg under it. I dropped by a police station because I was about a half a mile from to tell them there was an injured deer in the road. I figured that would be quicker than callong. Dh called the sheriffs department once because some loser from our neighbors house drove something i to our fence and didnt tell us, nothing came of it thoughm

[Guest]

Once for a fire in my kitchen, once for an ambulance for myself and once when I got robbed at work.

[Laura Corin]

So far I've never called 999.

[Melissa in Australia]

Yes, though here we call 000. While working in home care for the elderly.

 

DH has to call in a child locked in a car

[Jean in Newcastle]

Numerous times. Crime, domestic violence, roommate's psychotic episodes, missing MIL (silver alert), and a lone toddler walking down the middle of an extremely busy city street have all promoted calls. I have never had to call for fire or ambulance though Ds has had to call for work numerous times when someone coded (stopped breathing or their heart stopped).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited July 29, 2017 by Jean in Newcastle

[SporkUK]

Personally no - though I've called NHS Direct/111 on many occasions and they contacted 999 on my behalf quite a few times. A couple times during the initial call (they usually call back after getting the details unless it's a very urgent situation even when they send you to A&E anyways during the call back) which is always "I've clearly underestimated this situation but I'll try not to panic". Having had that happen a few times, one of us is usually packing a bag while the other calls just in case. The joys of living in a house with 3 disabled adults plus all the kids' stuff. 

 

Never had to call the fire department (almost did once), did the police nonemergency number a couple times. My spouse has had to call 999 for police at work, but he's a night manager at a hotel so lots of weird - and dangerous to himself and others - things happen. 

 

My MIL now has an emergency bracelet for contacting 999 but thankfully hasn't had to use it yet. My late FIL had to several times, he was the king of looking like he's not panicking (once stood outside in his slippers chatting waiting for the ambulance while having what we later learned was a heart attack). 

[Carrie12345]

My MIL called for me once, and I called for myself another time.

My children have accidentally called 2 or 3 times. (I don't consider that to be "okay", but I do have 5 kids, so it isn't as if they've all done it repeatedly.)

 

Oh, wait, I also called once when I saw a car pulling onto the highway on ramp with a child's head sticking out the rear window.  They didn't care, because it was the back seat, not the front.  :huh:

[madteaparty]

When I lived in Boston and witnessed a bank burglary while having breakfast with my roommates. And then the non emergency number when same apartment got broken into. Good times!

[Pink and Green Mom]

I've called three times (we lived about 10 miles from a hospital at the time).  Once at 2 am when my youngest was about 15 months old - he was shaking violently and I thought it was a seizure (it wasn't, and he was fine), the second was for me when my heart was racing and my face and left side of my body went numb (I thought I was having a stroke, turns out it was complications from Lyme disease).  The third time was when a bear was wandering through our neighborhood (on a weekend when Animal Control was closed).  They didn't care about the bear.

[BarbecueMom]

For an ambulance, no. My brother called at my insistence this winter when my mom had flu complications, but I didn't actually make the call.

 

I called 911 once when something was burning in my house at 5:00am and I couldn't find the source (turned out to be furnace wiring). If it had been after 7-8am I would have called the station directly and asked, but it was getting stronger. Wasn't sure I had that long!

 

And I called the non-emergency number once when my across-the-wall neighbor was in an intense argument with her boyfriend, and I started hearing stuff being slammed around. He needed to leave for the night before it got physical. I worked as a dispatcher at the time, so I called not-911 so I could easily get ahold of the not-idiot dispatcher on duty.

 

I also called a few times to say, "Hey, I'm sick. Not coming into work." :-)

 

OP, hope your MIL is doing okay. And it's okay to be a frequent caller. That's what they're there 24/7 for. I had a couple that called so often for stuff, that I could tell by the tone of their voice how serious the situation was, even if it was the same complaint.

[mytwomonkeys]

I've called twice. When my son was five days old he was having trouble breathing and his body became very rigid & he was like almost foaming at the mouth. I freaked out and called 911 immediately.

 

I called again this past year, the morning after his DTAP booster (he needed it for seventh grade public school). He had an extreme allergic reaction & was taken to the ER. This happened when he was a baby too & he had to go to the ER then (they told me it was unrelated and pure coincidence). This past time they confirmed it was indeed a reaction though & reported it and put it in his medical record finally.

 

My husband was not home both times. It was really terrifying for me.

 

ETA- I've called the police 3-4 times. Once a drunk person passed out in their car outside of our fence. Three times cows were in the road & I wasn't sure who they belonged too & I wanted to make sure no one (or no cow) got hurt.

Edited July 29, 2017 by mytwomonkeys

[ktgrok]

I have but never for my own family. 

 

I called when I saw a man beating a woman while driving erratically ahead of me. Then followed the car while staying on the line with police so they could find him. 

 

I called on a person acting erratically (either mental illness or high or something) in a parking lot of a store. 

 

I want to say I've called for other things too. Edited because I remembered! I called when a coworker had what turned out to be a panic attack, but was very scary for her and us. 

 

And I've called the non emergency line many times, the most recent two weeks ago for an aggressive dog at the dog park. Also for a person that was passed out in a car in a parking lot that was STACKED with animal cages with cats in them, and the smell was so bad you could smell it from at least 15 feet away. I was worried the guy was dead. Also for suspected human trafficking of kids selling stuff door to door. 

Edited July 29, 2017 by ktgrok

[Guest]

A week before Christmas last year... at 3:30 am, because we had a house fire. Fun times. ðŸ˜

[Rachel]

Yes once for a drunk driver.

 

I had a close call when my son was a toddler. He choked on a frozen blueberry and I could not get the Heimlich to work, his stomach muscles were so contracted I could not apply enough force! I was panicked and sat there with the phone unable to remember the number for a second or two. Fortunately I tried one more time on the Heimlich and the berry dislodged.

 

Now I have the number for 911 on my fridge in big numbers just in case. I could it believe I couldn't remember the number!

[Rachel]

Ottakee, I hope your MIL is ok!

[jjeepa]

We had to call once years ago when we lived out in the country because a helicopter was circling our house from above with a spotlight beaming down on our house and surrounding land in the middle of the night.  That was freaky.  It turned out to be a police helicopter looking for someone who escaped from an ER before he was transferred to a mental health facility.  

 

Had to call 911 for chest pains for myself.  No fun, but the two guys were terrific.  Very calm and caring.  

[mytwomonkeys]

We had to call once years ago when we lived out in the country because a helicopter was circling our house from above with a spotlight beaming down on our house and surrounding land in the middle of the night. That was freaky. It turned out to be a police helicopter looking for someone who escaped from an ER before he was transferred to a mental health facility.

 

Had to call 911 for chest pains for myself. No fun, but the two guys were terrific. Very calm and caring.

That's scary!!

 

Last year there was a huge manhunt in our area. Police were everywhere with guns and dogs... in the woods & going through all of the farm fields. The police told us to stay inside for safety. It was crazy! I can only imagine if it had been a helicopter without knowing what was happening!

[JFSinIL]

Called when hubby cut his hand open badly and I had two sleeping toddlers and was too freaked to think what to do.

Called when saw a porch on fire across the street...called again when hubby ran back to say someone had just lit a barbecue grill on the front porch of their wooden house with too much lighter fluid to say never mind, not a fire after all.

Called when heard gunshots nearby.

Called when lived in Chicago and a woman was screaming for help from the apartment parking lot late at night.

Called when lived in Chicago and a big fight broke out on our street - dispatcher would not send anyone until I told her what color the fighters were (I was NOT going out to look!)

 

I have called the non-emergency line, too.  Couple weeks ago called to complain (again) of huge old tree on street in front of neighbor's house with huge fungus growing out of it, now had most of the bark falling off tree over the fungus...they took the tree down same week. It was rotten inside.  Few days later we had waves of bad storms roll through, many trees down, this tree would have taken out more than one roof had I not gotten it cut down in time. Whew!

[marbel]

I've called several times, never for medical.

 

1.  Fire on a hillside above my house - 4th of July illegal fireworks.

 

2.  Fire in a garage at the house just below mine (hillside neighborhood).  That was very scary because there was a line of eucalyptus trees between the two lots.  If those trees had gone up, I think my wooden house would have caught.  Pre-teen arson.

 

3. Scary moment when I drove home and saw a car I didn't recognize in front of my house.  I lived in the last house on a dead-end road, with no houses across the street.  Before cell phones, so I drive to the nearest pay phone (not far and better than asking neighbors); when police arrived the car was gone. A cop went through the house with me.  Turns out a friend of mine had stopped by, found me not home, fallen asleep in the car (passed out drunk more likely), woke up between my arrival alone and arrival with police, and went home.

 

4.  When living on that dead-end road, for partying/disturbance. The road extended beyond my house into a cul-de-sac. Teens used to party there at night sometimes.  The first time I called, the cops came out and said to always call 911 when there were people back there.  That was a regular occurrence for a few weeks one summer.

 

5. Accidental call once when my husband was out of town and I was jumpy.  I was carrying the phone as a I prowled the house thinking I heard noises. Didn't realize that I hit the button for 911 till a cop showed up at my door. He was very kind.  :-)    

Edited July 29, 2017 by marbel

[Melissa B]

A dozen times at least:

 

ambulances for my dd's boyfriend, my own boyfriend (in high school) a woman seizing at the library (without any acquaintances nearby) a biker in a hit-and-run, a flipped car in a hit-and-run

downed live electrical lines at least three times probably more

a couple of patron fights at work (when I was younger and worked the graveyard shift) and a robbery at work

an argument with my landlord (when I was much, much younger) and had to move out under police protection

at least twice for very erratic driving on the interstate 

once when we were out on our boat (before the internet) and didn't know the non-emergency number to report a sick/stranded manatee - we wound up helping in the rescue effort

 

Family members have had much more intense calls.

 

 

 

[Ottakee]

Ottakee, I hope your MIL is ok!

She is home. It was very low blood sugar.

[Miss Tick]

Once for an impaired driver in the highway.

 

Once for a stranger standing on my porch trying to look in the kitchen windows in the middle of the night. After the police had been notified I flicked on the porch light only to discover that the man was wearing a sheet as a toga and a green, foam statue of liberty crown on his head. There is no eye-roll emoticon that is big enough for my reaction to that.

[maize]

Not yet.

 

This thread reminds me it would be good to do practice calls with the kids. I actually put in a landline phone when I started leaving some of them home alone more often specifically so they could always call in an emergency. They keep a cell phone too but a corded phone attached to the wall will always be easy to find, can't have a dead battery, and with a traditional landline the dispatcher would know exactly where they are.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Yes. I've called for fire, domestic violence (neighbors), violence (outside in the street).

 

 

ETA

 

Called once when someone threw something off overpass onto our car. That was scary!

Edited July 29, 2017 by PinkyandtheBrains.

[gardenmom5]

I've had to call 911 a number of times, (I had to call a couple times before 911) .  usually for my mom, for medical.   I've also had the paramedics call me (someone else called them.) to convince her to go to the hospital with them after she fell.  (mom, your shoulder is dislocated . . . .)

 

most recently called for a guy who went off the road on the hill below us. (2nd time someone did that.  the first guy was racing up and down the hill and rolled his car.)  I heard it, and insisted dh and I go looking for it as it was very dark out.  it was well into the bushes and if we hadn't been looking, could have easily been missed.   he was getting out for his friend to pick him up when we got there - and insisted we NOT call 911.   we headed home - and I called 911. and they did send people out.  (they'd put up caution tape as he plowed through the guard rail.)   probably drug related stupid.

 

eta: the first time I was in high school.  my purse had been stolen at school.  so they had my house keys and my address.  they could have gone in the house and robbed it with ease.  my brother had a grow/sell op going out of our house.  so, he pounded on me for calling the cops.  (who were going to do "drive-bys". not that those do much.)

Edited July 29, 2017 by gardenmom5

[gingersmom]

This thread made me think of all the times I called.

 

My daughter locked herself in her room. Rental house with huge old doors, took 2 policemen to remove door.

I locked my infant son in minivan (I'm still traumatized 17 years later)

Neighbor threatening me (turns out he's an alcoholic)

My daughter got her fingers stuck in garage door

Home alone with very young kids and nearly passing out

 

Lastly, police came to my door late at night nearly breaking it down. I didn't know it was police, just heard pounding so called 911. They verified it was police (who never announced themselves). They were at the wrong house!!!!

[slackermom]

3 times that I can recall:

 

When someone was trying to break in to MIL's house early Christmas morning, and dh and I were staying with her. We woke up when they broke the glass on the outer door, but there was an interior door that stopped them.

 

When I was home alone (and 8.5 months pregnant) in our condo, a man got in the building and was trying to open my unit doors for about 10 minutes. I was standing on the other side of the door and yelled that the police had been called.

 

Dh was having symptoms of a heart attack. An ambulance came to take him to the hospital. He was admitted to the hospital for a few days for tests, but no heart problems.

 

I have called the business line about a dozen times related to car break-ins/thefts/accidents.

 

One other potential time, dh and I both heard loud snoring one night, me thinking it was him, him thinking it was me, but when we were both awake at 3 am we realized it was someone else. Dh found a homeless man sleeping in the hall outside our apartment. Dh checked on him and decided he was harmless, just trying to find some place warm on a really cold night. So, no phone call, and dh went back to bed, but I couldn't sleep after that!

[Loowit]

Mostly I have called the non-emergency number.  Once for someone prowling cars in our neighborhood.  Once when DH was out of town and I heard someone outside late at night.  I did call 911 once when I saw an erratic driver on the freeway.

[SparklyUnicorn]

A few times yes.

 

 

[EmilyGF]

My husband worked for a suicide hotline for a while and it changed his view of 911. Now he calls it a lot.

 

I called 911 a few years ago. It was a super rainy night and we were heading down the highway and I saw a woman standing in the rain on the median in a way she couldn't have walked to. It was super eerie, like someone had stopped and put her out of the car there for punishment. My hubby had me call 911 on it so that a cop could pick her up and get her to safety.

Emily

[Lady Florida.]

Fortunately never for a true emergency.

 

I called once when I was home alone with a very young ds and didn't realize that what was wrong with me was an anxiety attack (you think you are about to die and it's terrifying). 

 

I don't remember if dh called 911 or the non-emergency number when I broke my ankle. They did take me to the hospital in an ambulance because they had to stabilize my leg/ankle and I couldn't just ride in our car, but I don't recall how the ambulance got to our house. I do remember they weren't using sirens.

[marbel]

I can't believe I forgot this, though I stupidly did not call 911 but rather the private security company at my apartment. 

 

In the middle of the night, I woke to hear someone trying to remove the screen from my ground-floor apartment.  That was terrifying!  The security dispatcher kept me on the phone till the guard arrived.   It turns out it was my neighbor - she was out with a guy, decided to ditch him, didn't have her keys, and decided to break into her own place, but got the wrong window.  The guard kind of laughed it off.  She never came over to apologize and didn't even put the screen back up for  me.

 

In retrospect, I realized I should have called 911.  I wouldn't have expected them to arrest or cite her, but they might have treated it more seriously.  If she'd succeeded in getting the screen off and the window open, and started to come in, I was going to hit her with my lamp. (Should have had a baseball bat or maglite for the purpose).  

[Word Nerd]

I called poison control when DD got into some diaper cream and the tube said to call if consumed. I have not had to call 911 yet but have had to make several ER visits.

 

ETA: I take it back. I called 911 after I was rear-ended while trying to make a left turn. The car behind me stopped but the person behind her wasn't paying attention and slammed into her, which pushed her into me. The woman in the middle had to go in an ambulance. Someone else had already called so I was only on the line for a minute.

Edited July 29, 2017 by Word Nerd

[TechWife]

My husband has called once when our son was ill. I have never called.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

1.  When I saw a man beating a woman at a bus stop (this was in the US)

2.  When I saw a small fire in a construction zone and no one around (They had been welding and it was a hot dry summer, one of the wooden cross beams was smoldering)

3.  When 10 month old ds got a chunk of apple stuck in his esophagus 

4.  When DH's asthma flared suddenly and he needed an ambulance ride to the hospital

 

ETA:  Forgot one.  Called when I though dd had swallowed a watch battery (turns out she hadn't, luckily!)

Edited July 29, 2017 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[Arctic Bunny]

Only once, when DH was alone with a friend in the middle of nowhere, doing CPR on his friend, and had only enough cell service to text, not call. Directed the ambulance to the land location.

[Jann in TX]

A few times...

 

First was when middle dd was a few weeks old (she was a preemie)... she woke up restless and would not nurse-- then I realized she was not getting enough air to even cry-- called the Drs office and the sweet lady who answered told me to 'hang up the phone, dial 911 and the Dr would meet us at the hospital'-- then she hung up!

 

Last time was while driving the interstate-- drunk driver...

 

Neighbor had to call 911 for me once...he was EMS and noticed that I was not looking well-- he found other neighbors to watch my daughters and his daughter (we were picking up the kids to walk home from school)-- then he drove me to his house around the block and called 911...he did not want my young daughters to see me taken away in an ambulance (I spent next 2 weeks in hospital- the first week in ICU...).

 

 

 

[rebcoola]

Twice once when I was 12 the neighbors across the street weren't home and we noticed smoke.  Once when we witnessed someone spin out in front of us on the highway and hit the barrier.  They got and were walking around my DH talked to them and they were sure they were fine we were sure they had a concussion.

[The Girls' Mom]

Yes.  Once for myself, I had an out of control heart rate (which FINALLY led to a diagnosis after being told I was having panic attacks).  Once for a bad t-bone accident that happened right in front of me (debris actually bounced off my car when it happened)

[FaithManor]

Non emergency sheriff's number twice to have deputies out because the very wild party next door had spilled over onto our property and suspected it included drugs.

 

911 - twice for my mother's husband when he got to hallucinating so badly we couldn't keep him under control. Twice for my brother as well. In the last ten months he's had a stroke and a heart attack at his home. Both times we were with him so able to make the call.  I also called from my car once several years ago, but I wasn't the only motorist who witnessed the accident so I think we flooded dispatch.

 

I called human resources at our EMS once to get a message through to our dd who was a medic at the time. The roads were drifting in so badly that we wanted her to stay at the station over night and not attempt to drive home.

 

So I think I've called emergency and non emergency dispatch more than average. 

[Guest]

Amazingly I've never had to. I probably will from here on out with any allergies, since my reactions have been worsening, though.

[FaithManor]

Amazingly I've never had to. I probably will from here on out with any allergies, since my reactions have been worsening, though.

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

[J-rap]

About five times or so, I believe...

 

Once when my ds (a toddler) was locked in the car in 20 below 0 weather.

 

Once when my dd was choking.  (My dh was performing the Heimlich on her.)

 

Once when we witnessed a robbery in action out our window.

 

Once when I entered into an apartment to feed a friend's cat and came face to face with a burglar.

 

Once when I was traveling and called home to my dh and could tell he had had a stroke or something horrible.  Unfortunately, 911 could not help me since I was calling from another city.

 

 

[fraidycat]

I've called the non-emergency number for various things maybe two or three times. Once a stolen car phone, once for hazmat chemical totes in the ditch by our house, and maybe one other time that I can't recall the reason for the call.

 

I have not called 911, but I did set the fire alarm (connected to our home alarm system) off once when I was making supper and even though I cancelled the alarm, the fire truck showed up at my house anyway! They were very sweet and offered me their big fans to get the smoke (from burned BBQ sauce) out of the house, but I declined.

Edited July 29, 2017 by fraidycat

[SKL]

I don't recall calling 911.  Though I might have, to report a very erratic driver on the freeway many years ago.  I wouldn't have had a non-emergency number for where I was.

 

I did call, probably non-emergency, when I saw some strangers removing stuff from my neighbor's house.  The neighbor's son had asked me to keep an eye on the house as its owner was in the hospital.  So I wasn't sure if these folks were supposed to be there or not, but I thought the cops could check it out.  I was afraid to confront them myself in case they were bad guys - I was alone with my daughters.  Turned out they were OK.

Edited July 29, 2017 by SKL

[Miss Peregrine]

I have not. My kids have. Twice. *sigh*

 

They just wanted to see what would happen.

[dsmith]

We share a house with my in-laws, and we probably call 911 a few times a year, or a call is triggered by my father-in-law's Lifeline device. People thought it was strange that we got him a Lifeline, but he passed out in the upstairs bathroom once and we didn't realize right away. This year has been slow, only 2 - 3 times. Last year I think we had the ambulance here 10 times. My fil has poorly regulated diabetes and both mil and fil fall frequently. We are considering getting mil her own Lifeline device. 

[HS Mom in NC]

Yes.  In 2005 I had to call 911 for myself because my lung spontaneously collapsed while I was driving with my kids in the van.

On a trip back from CA we witnessed a roll over accident on the freeway.  Everyone else who witnessed it called too, so we couldn't get through. 

Oldest called 911 twice in the last 2 years from our house because motorcyclists like to race on the major road near us.  There are have been half a dozen accidents since we've been here. She called because of a wrong way driver on the freeway about 5 miles from our house a few months ago.

I called the non-emergency number to get hazmat out for a chemical spill in the neighborhood and when a con-artist was knocking on doors wanting donations with a nonsense story about her mother grow up on the res a mile away.  If you're going to try to con a local know which tribes are actually nearby and where the tribe you name resides.

[rutamattatt]

Three times.

 

1.  Lived in an apartment and heard a car squeal to a stop and a man and woman arguing.  The man was threatening to kill the woman so I called 911.  Fortunately the police showed up and deescalated that.

 

2.  Following a severely impaired driver on the highway.  They had to keep transferring me as we crossed counties.  He finally exited and we never saw if he was arrested.

 

3.  My carbon monoxide detector went off and I was home alone with two toddlers.  Probably would have normally just called the local fire department, but nearly lost my parents, sister, nephew, uncle, and cousins to carbon monoxide poisoning in the little country church where I grew up one Sunday.  I do not mess with carbon monoxide.  Turns out the detector was malfunctioning and not even the firefighters could get it to shut off.