
T
he local police department just had to get it
off their chest. After a recent storm caused
a power outage and fallen trees, the department
was inundated with so many 911 calls, they
couldn’t handle the volume. So they posted a
message on Facebook about how not to use 911:
The police wanted people to know that 911
was not an information hotline. It should be
used to report crimes and other life-threatening
emergencies. They couldn’t answer every
question. This too-pointed message, once posted,
wasn’t well received by city officials.
Yet 911 calls highlight a core problem in an
emergency of any kind. A lot of people need
help and they don’t ...