COLUMBUS – Columbus police are reminding residents: Save the 911 emergency phone number for real emergencies, not botched fast-food orders or barking dogs.
The Columbus Division of Police dispatch center receives approximately 1.3 million calls a year but spokesman Sgt. Dean Worthington says many of those are not emergency calls and often interfere with callers who may be dealing with life-and-death situations.
Members of Division’s Communications Bureau teamed up to create a public service announcement to try and improve recognition of the non-emergency line: 614-645-4545.
The video, created in conjunction with Columbus Television, helps explain when someone should and should not call 911.
The video includes the story of a girl who needs to be revived after falling in a swimming pool but whose mother cannot get through to 911 because of non-emergency callers who have tied up the lines.
Worthington says, if a life is in danger or something serious has occurred, please call 911.
Do NOT call 911 for issues like these:
“What time is trick-or-treat?”
“I want to talk with an officer because I want a refund on this bad fast-food.”