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“911, what’s your emergency?” That question can be answered in dozens of harrowing ways. Perhaps there’s someone breaking into your home, maybe you were just in a terrible car accident, or you’re watching a loved one have what you can only assume is a heart attack. Nobody ever wants to have to dial 911.
Well, most people don’t want to. But apparently, there are some individuals out there who will call this number for issues that are anything but an emergency. 911 operators have been discussing the most ridiculous reasons they’ve ever been called on Reddit, so we’ve gathered a list of their stories below. From cooking questions to confusion about quick dial buttons, these tales are great reminders to never waste law enforcement’s time. Enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote the stories about callers that you would have simply hung up on!
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#1
Had an elderly lady in SC low country call and she was afraid someone had put a “root” on her, kinda like voodoo. Some white powder like flour had appeared on her porch and she didn’t know what to do. I asked her if she had a straw broom. She did. I told her to get the broom and a dustpan, walk backward out the door and to the mysterious powder, sweep it I to the dust pan and back up to the left side of her porch, throw the powder out over her left shoulder, dust the broom off well on the porch rail and that was that. She did it and was happy.
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#2
This will be piled in comments, but it's still stuck with me for my entire life. When I was younger, my mother was a paramedic supervisor. The dispatch desk was pretty much handled by the dispatcher - and whomever was closest to the phone. Pretty laid back environment. The 911 operator would transfer and relay the calls to the person answering the phone at the ambulance station. I would randomly answer often while I was there hanging out, just to feel important. I answered one day, and this guy said he got the wrong number. Now, the same phone was used to business lines and emergency transfers, so you had to pay attention to what light turned on when the phone rang. When I answered this man's call, he called the business line. He told me it was an accident. I misunderstood and thought said there HAD BEEN an accident. I immediately handed the phone to my mom so she could adult. My mom spoke to him for what seemed like hours. Turns out, the man was calling his daughter whom he hadn't spoken to in years. He was calling to tell her goodbye because he was going to end his life. I don't know if my mom was amazing at her job, or if it was fate. But that man, as far as I know, is still alive to this day and credits that to dialing the wrong number.
Not exactly a 911 call, but close.
#3
I have had hundreds of parking complaints come in via 911.
My personal favorite, however. I had someone call 911 to complain about a city ordinance that their neighbor hadn't mowed their lawn. I had them call the non emergency number to report it. Which went to the person sitting next to me.
I made them look up the number and call to be spiteful. They didn't know the non emergency number and 911 went to two people in the same room.
The house in question with the unmowed lawn, belonged to an on duty police officer for that town. So we sent him to take the ordinance violation complaint from his neighbor on himself.
#4
"I can't get this jar of peanut butter open and if I don't get the peanut butter in the feeder, the squirrels will be mad *maniacal laughter*"-frequent flier (mentally ill)
"There's a HUGE FIRE! Oh my god, get the fire department here now." It was the full moon shining through trees.
"Um, I let my parakeet out to get some air and now he's stuck in a tree..."-award winning event at the annual firefighter dinner for most entertaining call for service. Included gems such as "Unit 1400 on scene, no feathers showing from the outside, checking the area..." and "dispatch be advised, subject is a flight risk".
#5
20 year 911 Dispatcher and Supervisor here. Had a guy call and ask if the line was recorded, I assured him all our lines were recorded. He started to recite his last will and testement and then shot himself. All 911 recordings are legal documents so he just saved money on a lawyer giving his will over the phone.
#6
6:30 Christmas morning. 9-1-1 goes off. "9-1-1. what's your emergency?"
Breathless, panicky voice "How do I get the cranberry sauce out of the can without it coming out in chunks?"
"Open the other end and slide it out on a plate."
"OH! THANK YOU! You are brilliant!"
I wasn't considered so brilliant once I had to dispatch an officer over there to educate her on proper 9-1-1 usage. Merry Christmas, here's your citation.
#7
Many, many years ago, (1962 or so)
I managed to rotary dial the Ohio State Highway Patrol and tell them to come arrest my Mom because she wouldn't let me go outside and play in the rain.
I was 4.
Peeka_Mimi 2 days ago
I called my Nany on my mom for changing Sesame Street to watch All My Children. This was in 1977 and I was 4yo.
#8
Back when I was in highschool, a group of boys were making prankcalls to emergency services.
The lunch lady who had tolerated a bunch of stuff from them had enough and called the non emergency line to report them. Police arrived, fined them and the boys got detention for a month.
I later learned that their parents were not amused and grounded them for the same month, and took all electronics so they couldn't communicate with each other outside of school. And the boys had to pay the fines with their own money, their parents wouldn't pay a single dime.
At school every other student was disgusted by their behavior and ignored them completely. The rest of the year the boys were incredibly well behaved.
#9
My company has an emergency number for chemical/medical/facility emergencies, that forwards to my personal phone and rings an alarm that's probably guaranteed to raise me from the dead.
A manager realized this *was* a direct line to my personal phone that I would not ignore under any circumstances, and started calling the emergency number to reach me when I was off from work with issues like "an app on my PC can't find the network, help me right now". I am not the company's IT support.
Our director was extremely displeased with their poor judgement.
Riley Quinn 1 day ago
I should hope so. I fully understand reaching certain qualified personnel for emergencies, but this idiot violated that with petty BS.
#10
Not an operator, but my now-ex boyfriend who called in.
He usually worked a late shift, walking home about 2 am. This shift he got off work a few hours late...
BF: I'd like to call and report a fire. [We live in a fire prone area and it was the season.]
911: Where is it located sir?
BF: On the hillside just East of [City].
911: Can you be more specific? [_Typing away in the background._]
BF: Yes, [gives a more detailed location]. Oh god, it's getting bigger! The whole top of the hill is on fire now!
911: Stay calm sir, we're sending somebody out.
BF: It's getting bigger! Doesn't anybody else see this?! It's lighting up the sky around it...it's huge! Oh god! Oh...oh, wait...
911: Sir?
BF: I am SO sorry...I'm not usually out this time of night, I just got off work late...that's, that's the sun...
911: ...
BF: I am so, so sorry for wasting your time, there is no fire, that's just the sun rising. Never mind. I'm really embarrassed...
911: That's fine, Sir. I will cancel the call, thank you for calling.
EDIT: Former boyfriend said I forgot a detail so I added it in.
#11
Not a dispatcher but I worked security at a college and fielded the calls as I did my rounds.
The best story I have is a guy who called about a bobcat in front of the library. He called up out of breath and said there was a wild cat intimidating people so they could not enter or exit the building.
I was fairly close so I started to run over. I asked if anyone was injured and he said no. I was expecting a group of people held up at the entrance by a huge cat hissing at everyone. I told him to keep away from it and stay on the line.
When I got there I found a tabby cat perched on a bench.
I verified the caller and the cat he called about. I went over to the cat with him and started pet him, he rolled over and let me scratch his belly.
The guy was shocked and said "oh, someone has domesticated it."
Yup. I smiled and walked away.
#12
Guy called for a suspicious pkg on his porch. Cop comes out, picks it up, looks at it, then asks if he ordered anything from Amazon. Guy says “yes”. Cop hands him the pkg and says have a good day. Guy just says “sorry” and goes in the house.
#13
Not an operator; I'm a prosecutor. Guy lived in a rooming house that had a public area where all the residents could hang out. It had a microwave in it provided by the landlord. Guy called 911 around midnight one night *because the microwave wasn't there*. The conversation with the dispatcher went something like this:
**Dispatcher:** "So... you called 911 because a microwave you don't even own is missing? Did you ask your landlord if he took it?"
**Guy:** "Uh, no."
**Dispatcher:** "Well, that's not an emergency, sir."
**Guy:** "But I'm really hungry."
Meanwhile, a person with an actual emergency had to be put on hold briefly because this guy was adamant that this was the worst thing to ever happen. The genius insisted that police officers be sent to his rooming house ASAP because of the missing microwave. Officers showed up--so they could cite him for improper use of 911.
The guy pleaded Not Guilty and requested a *jury trial*. He represented himself. The jury was out 20 minutes before it announced its Guilty verdict.
#14
I was a 911 dispatcher for just under a year. Realized that it is NOT for me. A lot if respect for those peeps! This was in Gilbert, Arizona (if you know about this place this story shouldn't surprise you). The call came in from an elderly woman because there was a "black guy" at the park. I asked her what he was doing she said "Nothing, he's just sitting there." So I asked her what the problem was. Her response was "he shouldn't be there". I almost sent the cops to her place to pick her up as a mentally unstable person.
Dane 2 days ago
I had a lady living in an affluent neighborhood complain of a person of color, walking down the road. "Do they appear too be in distress" - No - "they" just don't belong up here. "So, you are requesting I do a well-being check on this party, to ensure they do not help of some kind? YES! - she was so relieved to have an "out" for the self-realization of her obvious racism!
#15
Oh dear god, time to shine. Had a lady trying to call an ambulance because she opened a package from Amazon at home and she was afraid that that her kid was about to have a major allergic reaction... From the packing Peanuts.... because the kid was allergic to peanuts, and when her kid mentioned what they were called, she freaked out.
#16
Someone called 911 because their cat looked “sad.” I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
#17
My mum’s town will post police/911 activity in the newspaper. It’s so often not criminal activity, and when it is it’s usually teenagers checking car doors but not actually stealing anything.
More often than anything else it’s bored, quietly racist, retirees calling whenever they see a brown person. Example: “Complained of strange woman entering neighbour’s home. No forced entry. Officers greeted by neighbour’s new housekeeper.”.
Sara Frazer 2 days ago
-___- well hopefully these racist dumbàsses get shamed by being published
#18
Not a dispatcher but when I was in EMS we were dispatched to a psych call. When we got there this lady was standing out side her house ready to go to the hospital. On the way to the hospital I was talking to her and trying to get her vitals when she told me there was nothing wrong with her that she heard a family member was in the hospital and needed a ride, so she called 911. Cops met us at the hospital for her.
LinkTheHylian 1 day ago
"Ma'am, this is only a taxi to the hospital when you're the one with the potential life-threatening issue."
#19
Not an 911 operator but I work in the ER and the amount of young men (typically) who come in after their first major hangover always has me laughing.
To those who are angry or upset about this please know we can see the difference between alcohol poisoning and a bad hangover.
#20
I don’t work for 911 but I used to work at a restaurant and we had a guy one time who called 911 because we refused to serve him alcohol. 1 he looked like he was 16 years old and didn’t have an ID. 2 he was already so drunk he couldn’t actually manage to sit on a barstool and not fall off.
And we were fairly sure he drove there. One of our managers was actually on the phone calling the nonemergency police line to see if somebody could come pick him up and dump him in the drunk tank when this guy decides to call 911 that we won’t serve him liquor.
#21
NZ has 111 operators that connect you to emergency services. I used to be a 111 operator and before are some of the dumbest things I've had
* The moon is too big
* Government spiders are in my ears again
* The neighbour has recorded me coughing and has been playing it back to me for 24 hours on high
* The people in my living room are watching coronation Street and I don't like it (plot twist! She was the only one home and had left the tv on)
* I can't turn my shower off
* DEEEEZ NUUUTS! (More times than I can count)
* Everyone is driving at me and I don't like it (plot twist! He was driving the motorhome ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!!).
#22
Police 911 operator here for 15 years. The stories I have.
* I've had someone call 911 to know how long to smoke a brisket.
* I've had someone call 911 to ask what the fines for parking tickets are.
* I've had someone call 911 to wish me a merry xmas when I was working at 3am on on Christmas Morning
* I've had someone call 911 report that their trunk wasn't opening and they wanted to know what to do about it.
* I've had someone call 911 in a rural community because a black dude was walking down the street and "we don't get their kind here".
* I worked on 9/11. I had people call 911 for weeks after because there were "3 brown guys in a car and I thought you should know about it."
* I've had someone call 911 because they were lonely. About 1,000 times.
And many, many more.
I've done this for a while. Do people over-use the system? Sure. But for the most part I'm happy with how our children are taught to only use 911 if it's a life or death emergency or if there's a crime in progress.
#23
Me: "911 this line is recorded, what is your emergency?"
Caller: "hi, um I don't know if this counts, but four days ago I noticed a Uhual truck in my neighbor's driveway."
Me: "okay?"
Caller: "Well the two guys looked really suspicious. They were walking around the house like they didn't belong there."
Me: "Four days ago?"
Caller: "it's been bothering me because my neighbors have been on vacation and no one should be there."
Me: ......"okay we'll take a look."
The entire house had been ransacked. All the valuables were gone. Too much time had passed for the local pawn shops to have the items because they know what is stolen and needs to be moved quickly. LPT: if something doesn't seem right don't ever second guess calling the cops immediately. If the operator gives you attitude, make a complaint.
#24
Not a 911 operator, but a former EMT. We had a call for a guy with a toothache. At 3AM. On a Saturday. The guy stated that he'd been hurting for about three weeks, and no it wasn't getting any worse. He was insisting on going to the hospital no matter how much we discouraged him.
Then he keeled over and went into cardiac arrest. Not so stupid anymore.
#25
My dad accidentally threw away the little card phones used to have where you'd write down what the quick dial buttons were for. So he decided to fill in a new one. Only issue is he didn't know what they were anymore.
So he called them. One after the other.
When he found the button for police, he got the 911 operator. Thinking quickly, he just hung up. They traced the call and sent the fire department, an ambulance, and two cop cars. My dad had to explain what he'd done. They laughed, told him to be more careful next time. No harm, no foul.
Then he continued his efforts and found the button that connected to the fire department... Everyone was sent back and they were a little less amused.
#26
"How far down is it snowing?" All the way to the ground, now get the f**k off my emergency line!
And my personal favorite, exact quote:
"My washing machine is telling me to file for bankruptcy." This was a confused elderly lady so it was actually a little sad, but I'm including it because it left me completely speechless at the time. I think my response was, "I... you... what?"
#27
Not on operator but once someone called cops on me for 'leaving an unattended bag' in the park by our house.
Thing was, it was in a town of less than 1000 people. Tiny park. I was there the whole time, I set it on the table while I played with my young kids. The entire park is visible from any direction. I was never more than 100 ft from my sons diaper bag and the cops came and seemed really confused when they saw me and asked if it was my bag. I was, like, yeah?
Then they told me why they came and I was floored. They were annoyed with whoever called and left without further questioning.
Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Tbh , that comes under “see something say something “that’s not just a USA thing either. Can’t be to careful anymore , and any cop as isn’t happy needs to wise up, for his own safety!
#28
Every year our local police put out a list of dumb calls. Every year people call 911 because their garbage wasn’t picked up, or their internet/tv aren’t working. 🤔.
#29
9-1-1 dispatcher/supervisor for 5+ years here.
We get a ton of misdials because some genius at Verizon decided it would be a good idea to have phone numbers that start with "991-"
Had a woman call because her "baby" wasn't breathing, so we gave her instructions to do CPR. Medics got there and found her doing CPR on her dog.
Had another woman call saying her cat was stuck in a tree. I just knew she wanted the fire department to come save the cat, so I got my "that's only in movies/TV" speech ready. Then she said "...so my husband climbed up to get the cat and now he's stuck too.".
Pandaodboredem22 2 days ago
991 (in the USA) used to be the code to dial out of our work phones before we switched from PoTS to VoIP, I was paranoid everytime I dialed out.
#30
Not a 911 operator but I was a campus police officer at an expensive private university.
I got dispatched to a call of a man unloading boxes from his car in a parking garage. I was extremely confused and called our dispatch center on my personal phone to try to get more details. Turns out someone had seen a black man unloading boxes from his car, and baselessly suggested that the car was stolen. I just drove around the parking garage for a minute and cleared the call.
Janet Sparrow 2 days ago
It’s really interesting how where you live affects this type of observation. I’m white and I’ve lived in Oakland, California for 40 years. We are the most integrated city in the country. If I called the police for every black person, I saw unloading their car, they would be here every minute. Just all in a day work for us.
#31
I have been in the 911 biz for over 22 years. If a caller starts the call with "I swear I'm not crazy" then you need to buckle up for some insanity. A guy started a call with those words after escaping from his apartment and running to the closest 7-11. He swore that his roommates were turning into giant crabs. The was going to show the officers that they were currently in giant cocoons transforming. As you might expect he was tripping balls.
Laserleader 2 days ago (edited)
I wonder if he was at a sleepover where they were all in sleeping bags.
#32
I once got a call from 911, "do you have a child with an emergency"? The dispatcher was being professional, but I could tell she was trying not to laugh. I say one moment as I walk upstairs to interrogate my then 5-year-old.
He loved trucks. I'd given him a video with emergency vehicles; firetrucks, ambulances, police cars. I guess they thought this was a good place to advertise "hey kids, call 911 (if you have an emergency)". Such a convincing message, he called.
I asked why. His answer: my neck hurts.
#33
My dad told me about multiple ridiculous 911 calls during his time as a paramedic. One of the most ridiculous was a woman called for “being out of milk” and that she needed them to get some for her. Happened twice with the same woman. She didn’t have dementia as they initially suspected, turns out she was just super entitled.
Geoffrey Scott 1 day ago
We have an adult foster care house across from the Middle School. After the 3rd b**b threat, it was determined she just liked watching the pretty lights. Wife of the local police chief was the manager of the C-Store she used the pay phone to call them in at.
#34
Firefighter friend years ago sent on a call where a family reported white powder on their table.
I think he said they thought it was anthrax. Crew quickly located the source of the "anthrax"...opened box of powdered donuts.
#35
When I was a kid I called 911 and yelled: "NAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SYYBENNNYAHHHHHHHHHH BADAGEESEEEEBABAOOOOHHHHHHHH" into the phone. The Lion King had just come out and I thought it was hilarious. After the third or fourth time they sent a police officer to the house and he gave me a stern talking to. My mom was pretty embarrassed.
HangryHangryHippo 2 days ago
Who else without getting to the part of "the Lion king" already knew and even read it while singing the lyrics? 🤣
#36
My dad grew up in a small town. One year while back home visiting his mom he forgot some laundry in her dryer and left for the airport. She called the police, and they actually showed up to collect the laundry then pulled my dad over on the highway and delivered it to him.
#37
Once at the hotel I used to work for, a guest called 911 intending to reach me at the front desk. The 911 Operator called me back saying likely the woman was a moron but asked me to go check out the room anyway. I did and the woman kept saying the print on the phone said to dial 911, which is correct but it also says to do so in an emergency. It further says to dial 0 to reach the front desk, both of which should be pretty much basic for anyone who has spent any time at all in the US.
The best part was that I could maintain my professional helpfulness and still got to see her husband just disgusted with her stupidity.
#38
Paramedic here,
Once we had a young woman call 911 around 2am saying that her legs were turning blue. Turns out she had worn a new pair of jeans to the club that night.
#39
Had a drunk person call to report he was being harassed. Truth was..... He was being arrested by our officers for throwing pizza at people. All I heard in the background was one of my officers saying to him "that better not be our dispatcher on the phone" followed by some muffled talking and my officer taking the phone and saying "he will be taking a ride with us now" and hung up.
Still laugh about it to this day.
Also had a drunk woman call 911 because she couldn't remember her phone pass code.
#40
Caller: A deer just swam across the river behind my house.
Me: Okay?
Caller: Well I am worried it might be cold.
Me:.......Well there is nothing we can do about a deer being cold. Didn't it run off after swinning the river?
Caller: Yes.
Me: Well ma'am it's a wild animal and I'd guess it's going to be fine.
Caller: ok.
#41
I'm not a 911 operator but I heard someone dialed 911 to request a mugshot of her to be removed from the internet, she got charged for misuse of 911 and had a new mugshot.
#42
I had a guy call 911 just because he wanted to see fire trucks and ambulances with lights and sirens. He miscalculated. There was a cop too...and he was not amused. Dude spent the night in jail.
#43
My aunt was at 911 for 30+ years in Florida. Lots of stories - one night, a lady called from the McDonald's drive-thru because they were out of chicken nuggets.
Sara Frazer 2 days ago
Oh no, end of the world!!!!/s -seriously if this place in Florida is like any other American suburb there will be another McD's a mile away.
#44
If you want an opposite story kind of, once I called the police non-emergency line because I heard gunshots outside of my (very Canadian, very suburban) house. The officer took my report and then said, “… well, should this ever happen again I’d like to encourage you to call 911 and not the reporting desk.”
My husband and I also spent fifteen plus minutes debating if we should call or not, and the officer had questions about that too.
#45
I was a paramedic, worse was the woman calling for us to transport her with the flu. Her reason, since she's on Medicare it costs nothing to call an ambulance but about $10 for a taxi. In the middle of transport, had alittle girl stop breathing right next to our station. Took the next closest unit about 10 minutes to get there when it would have taken us less than a minute. Yeah, I didn't last long in that field.
Dane 2 days ago
To the OP - I understand. I dispatched for over a decade - I had plenty of fire trucks and police cars but never enough ambulances, and nothing pi$$ed me off more than having to send EMS on a BS broke toe/bloody nose/toothache call, then get another call in the same area 10 mins later for a heart attack/stroke/airway obstruction knowing the response time would now be 10-15 mins longer than it should have been. Thank goodness for Fire Dept First Responders that could hopefully stabilize the patient until EMS could arrive.
#46
We had a squad that called in for non transport because the caller had pooped and couldn't wipe. So they called 911 to have them wipe their bum. *blink*.
#47
Paramedic here.
I had a guy who picked his wart at 3am and it was bleeding.
That's it. That's the story.
#48
I'm in the UK where it's 999, but essentially the same thing. I didn't work there for very long, but I remember a really drunk lady calling up from a bar on a Sunday afternoon to tell me she couldn't find her coat.
When I told her it wasn't an emergency she went crazy at me.
Upstaged75 1 day ago
Hopefully they just hung up. I could never do that job. I have a very low tolerance for stupid people.
#49
Worked at a Level 1 trauma center.
We had a guy come in with his wife after demanding that an ambulance transport him to the hospital. He was less than two blocks away. All he had was a broken finger.
Another time, we got a call for a major trauma, single vehicle collision with the median or something like that reported two patients. First one rolls in at a reasonable time. Then we stand around waiting for the second dude. Ends up showing up 20-30 minutes later. Turns out he started arguing with the medics cause he wanted one last cigarette before he went to the hospital.
LinkTheHylian 1 day ago
"I want a cigarette!" "Sir, you've been in a car accident. You may have a punctured lung." "Well then the smoke'll get out and I ain't gonna get no lung cancer! Now beat it!"
#50
Bad dream. Cut myself shaving. I cant get my car into the driveway, will you park it for me?
Upstaged75 1 day ago
WHY would you call an emergency line over a bad dream? Some people are too stupid to live.
#51
Not an operator, but a female customer once called the cops on my coworkers for scaring her too much.
We work at a haunted house...
#52
A friend of mine once called 911 when when he was a kid because his aunt was having a baby.... At the hospital.
#53
Former 911 Operator here.
Had a guy call asking if it was legal to shoot his neighbor because his hedges were hanging over his property and he considered it tresspassing.
Had a woman call during a power outage asking what she should do with her steaks.
Had a guy smoke waaaay too much pot and call in freaking out, asked for an ambulance.
Sara Frazer 2 days ago (edited)
Lmao the first (and ONLY) time I had an edible I thought my partner and I were OD-ing, I almost called 911. To this day 10+ years later I'm so glad I talked myself down 😂 ETA: it was my sister's birthday, and 4 of us young 20-somethings had been galavanting around Seattle all day, drinking and getting into shenanigans. So by the time we made it back to my partner's apartment we were all pretty toasted. Adding THC to the mix obviously did not help. Partner and I had the dreaded "spins" and were generally not having a good time. I remember us laying in bed, clinging to each other like we were about to fall off the face of the earth 🤣 ah, to be young and dumb....nah, I'm good. I like being in my PJs by 8, curled up with my cats, watching "Frasier" or "Black Adder" 😪
#54
Family member is a 911 operator. She says on a regular basis people will call 911 for help because their car battery died and they are locked ***in***... not realizing there is a manual lock.
And despite not being an emergency, you can't really just hang up on them. If they are too stupid to figure it out on their own on a hot day you will have them passing out in their car and possibly dying.
Bec 2 days ago
Not the same thing, but we had a car circa 2004. We stopped driving it so the battery died and there was NO way to get it to unlock. Not even with the physical key. We had to get someone to jimmy the door open so we could pop the hood and charge the battery enough to start it again - major design flaw!
#55
When I was a little boy growing up In a smallish town, I came home from school one day and found that my mom and little brother were gone. Mind you, I was in 4th grade and took the bus home and there was always someone home when I got back from school. So obviously someone had kidnapped my mom and little brother, I called 911 and the police came by, about 3 mins after they arrived my mom came rolling into the driveway in the car. Turns out they weren't kidnapped...
Also on another occasion, not 911, but I came home and they were gone again so, crying and worried I went to the next door neighbors house who just so happened to be the chief of police and his wife. He wasn't home, but she was. She took care of me and fed me a few girl scout cookies till my mom got back. Good people those two.
#56
Woman called because her pregnant 14 or 15 year old granddaughter who lived with her and whose bed was the couch, wouldn’t get off the couch so she could use it to watch tv. The woman felt very indignant when I asked “What exactly do you want the police to do?”
Officer cleared the call with “She’s got nowhere else to go, grandma said it’s okay for her to stay.”
Also, lots of ambulance calls for “I have a stomach ache” which was code for “I need a free pregnancy test.”.
#57
People who get cut off in traffic are probably the worst inane callers. Like, "Oh so this happened three hours ago, you don't remember the road it happened on, you don't know the registration of the VOI, there was no traffic crash, and there is not even the insinuation that either party involved were under influence of substances?"
Noise complaints are similar.
People calling the emergency line to complain about being arrested earlier (one once complaining about being charged for abusing the emergency line).
I've had a woman call emergency because their sister was refusing to share their food, at a cinema.
But what is probably more insane is the serious incidents that are started by inane and petty things - once had a serious FDV between a mother and daughter - the mother stabbed the daughter after an argument over the colour of cupcake batter.
#58
What I heard from a colleague: The bees.
He asked “What bees?“
“Well, can’t you hear them?“.
#59
I received a call on the non emergency line from a 90-something year old lady asking me what lamp she should put in her bedroom. I told her I did not understand and that the sheriff’s office was not the correct place to ask. Eventually she got upset and said “Fine I’ll call 911, they’ll help me there!” I tried to tell her that 911 would just go back to me and it was a misuse of an emergency line, but it was too late.
15 seconds later 911 rings, I answer and lo and behold it was the lady asking “what lamp should I get for my bedroom?”.
#60
Not an operator, but my neighbor once threatened to call the cops on me for parking in my own driveway because I was preventing her from blocking it.
Laserleader 2 days ago (edited)
In my city, blocking a cutout is a ticketable offense, and can lead to a tow if the owner of the property the cutout was made for calls one. Found out when a neighbor called the cops because I parked where she normally did in front of the remains of a crumbled shed on the public street, that had a cutout.
#61
My wife used to be 911 operator in a small town of 20k with an interstate running through it:
- man called reporting a drunk on the golf course. Said something about being black and white. My wife asks if the drunk is black or white. The man says, "Both". Turns out it was a skunk, and the caller was the drunk.
- lady with mental health issues calling about the government tracking her and asking the operators to tell the authorities to stop. Usually about once a week.
- "you need to send a police officer to stop these Spanish people from playing their music so loud! It sounds like a taco commercial!"
- A cow got loose and was walking on the highway.
- a man called asking if a certain officer was on duty and if he could come by his house and help with his BBQ. The officer made it at a party one time and gave him the recipe but it wasn't turning out right.
#62
Someone called me one to ask for the time. Another to say there are ducks in a pond and it’s cold out.
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 2 days ago
The ones where people are concerned about animals always feel stupid but sweet to me
#63
Not an operator but I have a story. When I was little, I was at a family reunion and knocked some kid's potato salad out of his hands. He called 911 on a payphone, saying I stole his potato salad.
#64
A friend of mine is a police officer and once told me they’ve had people call 999 over whose turn it is on the PlayStation.
#65
My mom works as a 911 operator. She got a call one time from a girl in gym class at the local high school. She was in a panic and completely serious saying there was a squirrel on top of a telephone pole at the school and it wasn't coming down.
Bill Swallow 2 days ago
Tell them the squirrel is a lookout and he'll come down when his shift is over.
#66
To ask for directions.
To ask if they can legally own a monkey.
To say they called the regular line and that girl they talked to wasn't very helpful (dude it's still me).
To ask why we haven't gotten there yet to unlock their car and can we hurry?
To say they think someone messed with their a/c but they don't want to file a report or talk to anyone about it.
They heard a weird noise/saw a weird car/a suspicious person/something they thought was strange 30 minutes ago.
And so on and so forth.
#67
Yeah I’m in England. We had a call (I worked for the ambulance service) asking where the best place to get a bacon Sandwich was at 4 in the morning.
#68
Not me, but a close family friend worked taking 911 calls for years. She said the number of calls they get about how to cook turkeys at Thanksgiving time is just baffling.
#69
My coworker answered a call asking how badly the bridge was backed up as they had diarrhea.
Shark Lady 2 days ago
It's not 999 worthy, but I bet most people have had the absolute terror of having diarrhoea when you're not convinced you'll make it to a toilet in time.
#70
At the beginning of covid, people would call 911 to rat out their Chinese neighbours (Canadian born) only because the pandemic started there.
#71
I was calling a friend whose number started buy 901. Misdialed. Hung up immediately before call was pick up. 20’ later cop showed up at the door, asking to come in. My weed pipe was on the floor but he left without giving me any problems.
Upstaged75 1 day ago
Yeah, the cops are required to check out any 911 call hangups. Even if it was an accidental dial.
#72
A classmate of mine in 6th grade called 911 because he lost to his sister in Hungry Hungry Hippoes.
What do you think ?
Dane 2 days ago
Emergency Services gets WAY too many calls from smart phones, smart watches, etc, that just hang up (over 10% of call volume). They have to call back, to verify if it was a true emergency. When (if!) the caller answers, "oh, it was an accident." Dude! I am over 60 yo! I have had a cell phone every since there have been cell phones! I have NEVER called accidentally! Learn to use your GD phone!
BrunoVI 1 day ago
I HAVE accidentally called 911. But then I also knew enough to stay on to tell them everything was OK.
Load More Replies...
TonjaLasagne 2 days ago
You can only wish that anybody that calls 911 (or 999, or whatever the number is in your country) for non-emergency reasons will receive a citation. Unless it's a little kid, who then needs to be schooled on the proper usage. Calling to ask which lamp should you buy is just ridiculous!
Bill R 2 days ago
I work 911 for a University. Many years ago I answered a 911 call from a faculty member. He was reporting his mothers water line broke and wanted us to send someone out. His mother, who lived several cities from us. He wouldn't understand that 911 was for emergencies and he would have to call his mother's city water department to come out. He kept arguing with me that we should do something. This person was responsible for teaching college students. Not the only call I received from 'I'm a doctor' kind of 'smart' people.
Everything's Literal 1 day ago
I once called 911 equivalent in my country at 11.00 pm, because I was eating dinner and suddenly I FORGOT HOW TO SWALLOW! It was a really scary moment for me and I didn't know what to do. Thankfully the operator was kind enough to direct me to the nearest hospital. They checked my throat for any blockages (which there were none) and sent me home. Turns out it was a side effect of a medicine I took in an emergency. Apparently it relaxes some muscles on the body, but sometimes the muscles are selected randomly. In my case, it decided to suddenly relax my throat muscles. I couldn't swallow anything for about 24 hours, but it slowly went away within 2-3 days. I wonder what the operator thought when he heard someone saying "Hi, I can't swallow anything because I forgot how to swallow".
Brian Droste 1 day ago
Two things. One: if you have a cat and let outside and they climb a tree, more than likely they will be able to get down by thenselves so no reason to call the emergency number. Second one, one time I called 911. I was coming home from work. I came across a car in the road. Along side of the road was a low area of grass/weeds. When it rains it gets flooded. This car apparently had gone off the road into this area and back onto thevroad because I could see grass/weeds hanging from underneath the car. I didn't stop to see if anyone was in the car. I think this was in the spring because it would get dark out early. It wasn't dark yet but it headed that way. I was concerned that it got dark and somebody wasn't paying attention, someone would run into the car. 911 dispatcher said would send someone out to check it out. Not sure what happened because I didn't stick around to see what happened.
Chich the witch 1 day ago
Surprising how many people do not know where they live. Easier now that you can trace the call but in the "before times" it was occasionally a real problem. "We live beside Barb and Dave " does not narrow it down.
BrunoVI 1 day ago (edited)
Just a little FYI: It can be confusing when to call 911, especially since smaller counties simply feed EVERYTHING through 911. I had a work crew down the street burning letf-over pest-resistant construction lumber (which is treated with cyanide), so I called the police; they told me to call 911. I even had Google identify my cell phone as being inside a stranger's home, so I called the police. (Good thing I didn't confront them; turns out FindMyPhone was off by over a mile. So do NOT trust FindMyPhone!!!) Police had me call 911. Kid may have gotten into household cleaners? Call 911. Cat violently spasming after being hit by a car? Call 911. OTOH, I was TOLD to call 911; I didn't presume that any of these non-emergencies were more important than whatever ELSE might be going through 911.
Roxy222uk 1 day ago
Some from one area of the UK THE TOP FIVE MOST RIDICULOUS 999 CALLS I have a ghost in my house There’s a rat in my kitchen Do you know what time the doctors’ opens? One caller phoned the police to report they had a dry mouth Is it Everton or Liverpool who are at home this week?
LinkTheHylian 1 day ago
I'd be more worried about Everton playing Liverpool.
Load More Replies...
Lee Gilliland 2 days ago
You guys are awre that the univets3 is out there and maybe we've would appreciate something that is not rechecked Reddit, yes?
Dane 2 days ago
Emergency Services gets WAY too many calls from smart phones, smart watches, etc, that just hang up (over 10% of call volume). They have to call back, to verify if it was a true emergency. When (if!) the caller answers, "oh, it was an accident." Dude! I am over 60 yo! I have had a cell phone every since there have been cell phones! I have NEVER called accidentally! Learn to use your GD phone!
BrunoVI 1 day ago
I HAVE accidentally called 911. But then I also knew enough to stay on to tell them everything was OK.
Load More Replies... TonjaLasagne 2 days ago
You can only wish that anybody that calls 911 (or 999, or whatever the number is in your country) for non-emergency reasons will receive a citation. Unless it's a little kid, who then needs to be schooled on the proper usage. Calling to ask which lamp should you buy is just ridiculous!
Bill R 2 days ago
I work 911 for a University. Many years ago I answered a 911 call from a faculty member. He was reporting his mothers water line broke and wanted us to send someone out. His mother, who lived several cities from us. He wouldn't understand that 911 was for emergencies and he would have to call his mother's city water department to come out. He kept arguing with me that we should do something. This person was responsible for teaching college students. Not the only call I received from 'I'm a doctor' kind of 'smart' people.
Everything's Literal 1 day ago
I once called 911 equivalent in my country at 11.00 pm, because I was eating dinner and suddenly I FORGOT HOW TO SWALLOW! It was a really scary moment for me and I didn't know what to do. Thankfully the operator was kind enough to direct me to the nearest hospital. They checked my throat for any blockages (which there were none) and sent me home. Turns out it was a side effect of a medicine I took in an emergency. Apparently it relaxes some muscles on the body, but sometimes the muscles are selected randomly. In my case, it decided to suddenly relax my throat muscles. I couldn't swallow anything for about 24 hours, but it slowly went away within 2-3 days. I wonder what the operator thought when he heard someone saying "Hi, I can't swallow anything because I forgot how to swallow".
Brian Droste 1 day ago
Two things. One: if you have a cat and let outside and they climb a tree, more than likely they will be able to get down by thenselves so no reason to call the emergency number. Second one, one time I called 911. I was coming home from work. I came across a car in the road. Along side of the road was a low area of grass/weeds. When it rains it gets flooded. This car apparently had gone off the road into this area and back onto thevroad because I could see grass/weeds hanging from underneath the car. I didn't stop to see if anyone was in the car. I think this was in the spring because it would get dark out early. It wasn't dark yet but it headed that way. I was concerned that it got dark and somebody wasn't paying attention, someone would run into the car. 911 dispatcher said would send someone out to check it out. Not sure what happened because I didn't stick around to see what happened.
Chich the witch 1 day ago
Surprising how many people do not know where they live. Easier now that you can trace the call but in the "before times" it was occasionally a real problem. "We live beside Barb and Dave " does not narrow it down.
BrunoVI 1 day ago (edited)
Just a little FYI: It can be confusing when to call 911, especially since smaller counties simply feed EVERYTHING through 911. I had a work crew down the street burning letf-over pest-resistant construction lumber (which is treated with cyanide), so I called the police; they told me to call 911. I even had Google identify my cell phone as being inside a stranger's home, so I called the police. (Good thing I didn't confront them; turns out FindMyPhone was off by over a mile. So do NOT trust FindMyPhone!!!) Police had me call 911. Kid may have gotten into household cleaners? Call 911. Cat violently spasming after being hit by a car? Call 911. OTOH, I was TOLD to call 911; I didn't presume that any of these non-emergencies were more important than whatever ELSE might be going through 911.
Roxy222uk 1 day ago
Some from one area of the UK THE TOP FIVE MOST RIDICULOUS 999 CALLS I have a ghost in my house There’s a rat in my kitchen Do you know what time the doctors’ opens? One caller phoned the police to report they had a dry mouth Is it Everton or Liverpool who are at home this week?
LinkTheHylian 1 day ago
I'd be more worried about Everton playing Liverpool.
Load More Replies... Lee Gilliland 2 days ago
You guys are awre that the univets3 is out there and maybe we've would appreciate something that is not rechecked Reddit, yes?
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