First call of shift

[Duckie911]

I decided to relieve a dispatcher a little early tonight...my mistake..the 911 line rang and I picked it up - tho I was on a radio, and hear a female screaming, I mean hysterical screaming, I almost fell off my chair. It was so hard to get anything out of her, the absoulute terror in her voice went right through me. All I could get at first was her husband was on the bed bleeding. I asked her if he was breathing but do not honestly know if she understood. She kept saying he was bleeding from the mouth. I have already snapped my fingers (which I only do when it's something I need & someone else to pay attention and get me something)and someone came and took my radio. She is screaming that there is blood all over, I feel this is taking me too long to get the information I need for my officers and medics that are responding. Then she started chanting "please please stay here, I love you". That gets to ya.
I asked her why he was bleeding (because I really thought she was too hysterical for something minor) and she says first "just from the mouth""it's all over" I got a hinky felling and asked if there might be any weapons around and she says "yes in his hand" OMG now the fingers are a snapping quick - I was afraid that as hysterical as she was that she might pick it up when the officers walked in. Anyway she kept saying his chest was rising and falling, so I assumed he was breathing somewhat. After what seems like forever to get the emergency units there I can hear someone walk in to help her. I am amazed she did not hyperventalate.
Turns out hubby shot himself in the mouth and when the medic arrived they advised that there was brain matter showing! He was not that old and his baby was in the car in the driveway sleeping. That was my first call of the shift. Medic called and told me not to answer the phone anymore.

[MrJim911]

Well at first I had to laugh because it seems we all have our own version of attention getters... For me it's just waving my arms frantically in the air... which usually doesn't last too long since I need my fingers to type...

Anyway, that is a tough call. Nothing more frustrating then a call you know is serious and the caller is too hysterical to communicate with. Based on what you said you did all that you could. Sending the units on the way quickly was the best thing you could do and did. She would have been oblivious to any type of call handling techniques like repetitive persistence, etc... You did a good job Duckie!

Additionally, I cannot count the number of times my medics tell me to stop hitting their tones in the middle of the night.... or causing those bad accidents.....sorry... :o

[Flippy]

Duckie, that's so sad. I really hate the suicide calls. :(

[Duckie911]

Well it just keeps getting better and better. The next day the LAST 911 call I took was the same thing....needless to say, anytime I holler out "I'll get it" everyone else jumps to get it first now...
D

[MrJim911]

Never let the person with the large black cloud hovering over them to answer the phone unless your feeling lucky. :ahh!:

[Firewoman203]

I had a call somewhat like that about 5 years ago. I pick up 911 and I have a female screaming and crying in the phone. She is on the ceiling she is so upset. After getting the officer going I start to get info from here. All she can tell me at first is that he boyfriend just shot himself in the head. Then she starts sobbing. I then tell her to stay with me and I am going to get the ambulance sent.I stuck her on hold long enought to yell back to the jail to get my partner back. She was back there training.

Long story short, she was sleeping in the bedroom when she heard the gun go off. She comes out to find him on the couch with a 9mm in his hand. I couldn't get her to do anything. All she wanted to do was to stay in the bedroom. I couldn't even get her to check a pulse. Not that it mattered much at that point. The thing that really sucked is that the kid was only 22 years old.

That call still haunts me today. Haunts my husband as well. He was the officer responding that night. I went through a debriefing after that one.


I also do the finger snap to get eveyones attention. :)


Mel
:hustle:

[k9cop21811]

My hats off to you all for doing such a good job dealing with these issues that come up. What impresses me most is how you deal with it with no warning it's coming.

[Tara1832]

I had a call very similar to that in November. Caller kept dropping the phone, walking away, screaming, couldnt answer any questions, open the door for officers, anything. I even got calls from the neighbors about her screams- although no additional calls on the gun shot.

As always, you can only do so much and do the best you can. Sounds like you got the information as quickly as possible from a hysterical caller.

People (officers, reserves, firefighters, dispatchers from other departments) like to hear my tape because in our small town we dont get a lot of calls like that- however after I had heard the call 20 times, I had to start leaving the room when people listened. The screams just get to be too much after a while.

[ATF SAC]

End of the day, all you can do is what you can do. We can't reassemble the things folks do and make better circumstances. You showed a lot of cool, got done what needed to be done and seem to have good perspective and a little black humor going. Glad you are out there.

[corporal716]

Reading these posts remindes me of why I have not looked much into dispatching. I would feel so helpless knowing that I could not jump into a car and be on my way to help at the scene. There have been times when I had friends calling for help and could not go. I hated that feeling, I could not do that everyday. You guys and gals do a great job that I could never do. Thanks:)