The 911 Call
Working with special needs adults
for many years, I've made quite a few medical emergency calls. But none have been like
the one I experienced on September 15th, 2016 when staff
came running in to my office and asked if I
would call 911 on the land line.
Me--Dialed
911. The phone rang
and rang. Figured I
mis-dialed. Hung
up and this time really paid attention to the numbers I was dialing. Again, the phone rang and
rang but I knew
that I did dial correctly this time.
No
wonder the staff asked me to call on the land line.
Finally a voice answered.
911--inaudible
female
voice.
Thinking--Every
time I've called in the past, the dispatcher on the line always says
"911
what is your emergency". What
the
.....
Me--Is
this 911???
911--Yes. Do you have a problem.
Thinking--No.
Really
don't have anything better to do.
911--Where
are you calling
from.
Thinking--You should know.
It should be on your screen.
Me--2300
West Main Street.
911--What
is the problem.
Me--One
of our
participants is having a grand mal seizure. (For those unaware, we've
had two
participants die as the result of a grand mal.)
911--What
kind of business
is this.
Thinking--WHAT!!!!!
Me--We
have a day program
for intellectually disabled (current politically correct term) adults. One
of
the participants is having a grand mal seizure.
She has a history of seizures.
We
need the paramedics.
911--So
she's having a
seizure.
Thinking--No.
I'm making it up.
Me--Yes.
911--Need
to put you on
hold.
Thinking--WHAT!!!
Is this some kind of a joke. I'm
on hold
and this is a medical emergency!!!
911--(Another
person picks
up the phone.) What
is the emergency.
Thinking--Didn't
she tell you.
Me--One
of our day program
participants is having a grand mal seizure.
She has a history of having about five grand mals a year. This is one of them.
911--Is
she still
seizuring.
Me--No. She stopped seizuring but
is now
unresponsive.
911--We'll
send the
paramedics.
Thinking--Finally!!!
Me--Thanks. We'll be waiting for them.
About
15 minutes later,
the paramedics arrive. (The
fire station
is a half a block down the street!
We
literally could have run down to the station and come back in the time
we
wasted on the phone with the 911 "operator". )
Gave
them our
participant's face sheet and she was put in the ambulance with one of
our staff
accompanying her and taken to the hospital to be checked out.
Lesson Learned--Don't
call 911 and expect someone trained to actually answer your
call--especially if
you're in [Anytown]. All the staff and I could
think was "thank God this wasn't more serious than it actually
was".