Police dispatchers have an extremely important job to do. They're the first people that those in need reach when they call 911. They work on holidays. They work all through the night.
The job they do certainly isn't easy, and the stakes are often very high, sometimes even life or death.
It's not a job for everyone, that's for darn sure.
That being said, they certainly get their fair share of hooligans calling their lines as well. We're taught to only use 911 in the case of a big emergency, but some folks define emergency much more loosely than others.
With all the different kinds of people out there in the world, I'm sure you can only begin to imagine what kinds of calls dispatchers and first responders must get. From younger kids, to folks who should probably know a little better, lots of people have unnecessarily dialed 911.
The following 13 tales are just a small handful of the thousands of bogus calls dispatchers and first responders get daily. Has anyone you know ever made a crazy call like these? Let us know in the comments and please SHARE!
[H/T: Reddit]
Thumbnail source: Wikimedia commons
1.
"I've had someone call 911 to know how long to smoke a brisket." – Stepside79
2.
"Caller: A deer just swam across the river behind my house.
Me: Okay?
Caller: Well I am worried it might be cold." – NodePoker
3.
"I've had someone call 911 to ask what the fines for parking tickets are." – Stepside79
4.
"[A kid] once called 911 because his aunt was having a baby…at the hospital." – cold_toast_n_butter
5.
“Their trunk wasn’t opening and they wanted to know what to do about it.” – Stepside79
6.
"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." – Random-Miser
7.
"I've had someone call 911 to wish me a merry xmas when I was working at 3am on on Christmas Morning." – Stepside79
8.
"She got a paper cut on Wednesday (it was Friday) and it still felt painful. No other medical issues whatsoever except that papercut." – happily_confused
9.
"I've had someone call 911 because they were lonely. About 1,000 times." – Stepside79
10.
"Girl called 911 because they were going to charge her 50 cents for ranch dressing. When I showed up, the owner (who I knew because I eat there all the time at work) was totally confused. Then he laughed and said, 'We charge everyone extra for ranch,' to which the girl responded by breaking down in tears… Obviously, she was having some sort of terrible day and just lost it. She left with the ranch dressing." – JoeSchroe
11.
"Guy called because neighbors were using their own BBQ in their own backyard and the smoke was coming into his kitchen window. He did not think he should have to close his window. He did not talk to his neighbor before contacting police. I told him he should talk with his neighbor or shut his window. Clearly they don't get along." – JoeSchroe
12.
"Guy called because there was 'an aggressive squirrel next to his car' and he couldn't get in. Squirrel left before we got there." – JoeSchroe
13.
"Guy called and said there was a bear in his backyard. It was an opossum. Not even that big. Regular sized, rat-looking opossum." – JoeSchroe
All in a day's work as an emergency first responder, I suppose! I can only imagine how many more crazy calls these folks have received in their time. Please SHARE with your family and friends to see if they have any funny stories like these.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
