We recently responded to a report of a home invasion in progress, which almost ended in tragedy, because in spite of having a valid address, officers had a great deal of difficulty in locating the house. The dispatch tapes were absolutely chilling; the homeowner was screaming as he was being beaten by the suspect, and valuable seconds were lost trying to locate him.
The problem, and the fault, were two-fold. One problem, which is frequently encountered by first responders in many areas, is an inconsistency in addresses, and a failure of homeowners to post clear, easily seen house numbers that are highly visible from the street.
The second problem was the lack of information provided by the caller to 911. Simply providing a house number and street name are often
not enough.
Hearing those tapes prompted me to post this thread. A lot of you folks have plans in place (or should have) in the event of a home invasion, or other emergency, but how many of you have considered what information will be crucial to 911 dispatchers? Most simply have in their game plan, "call 911".
T'ain't enough.
Here's a few things to help first responders find you easier and faster:
1. First and foremost,
911 is for true emergencies only! Don't call it because your cat's up a tree or there's a car blocking your driveway. Even enhanced 911 systems only have so many trunk lines, and they can be bogged down with BS calls.
2. Take a deep breath and speak slowly and clearly. The extra second or two it takes to do that can literally take minutes off responder's response time.
3. Give information to dispatch in the order of importance. 911 systems show your name and address, even if you have caller ID blocked, so state the nature of the emergency first, then address, name, etc.
4.
If at all possible, stay on the line until 911 releases you. Dispatchers will frequently take only the most important information first and put you on hold to get units rolling. They will then get back to you for more detailed information.
5. Don't just give a street address. Give a brief description of the building as well. Information such as "It's a yellow frame 2-story house with a red brick porch", and "It's the 5th house from the corner of Main Street" will help a lot. Remember that, especially in home invasion calls, units will also respond to the rear of the building, where there usually are no house numbers.
6. Try to advise dispatch where entry is being attempted. Ex: North side 1st story window, back door, etc.
7. If you can, let them know how many people are involved, and a brief but distinct description. This can be as simple as a "younger/older White/Black/Asian male with a red dew rag" Anything that makes that person or people stand out, will help. Often times suspects flee upon the approach of police, and we often find them calmly walking down the street, several blocks away, thinking if they play it cool, we won't know who they are. Even a partial description gives us reason for a Terry stop.
8. Let dispatch know how many innocents are in the house, and where they are.
9.
If you are going to take an active roll in defense of your family, give dispatch your description, including clothing, and advise them that you are armed, where in the house you are, and what action you're taking. (Nice job, Lurper
) You want responding officers to recognize you instantly! I have come damned close to shooting a homeowner several times because after calling police, he went wandering around outside with a firearm.
10. If possible, and if you are going to take physical action, have another family member man the phone. All your attention needs to centered on your actions, and not divided by talking on the phone.
Your conversation with 911 can be every bit as important as your defensive actions. Discuss these with your family next time you go over your game plan.
I've probably missed a few points since these are mostly off the top of my head. If any other first responders here, including firefighters and paramedics, can think of anything else, by all means, chime in.