County hopes changes will stop clogs in 9-1-1 system

SEDGWICK COUNTY, KS — Sedgwick County officials want to prevent non-emergency calls from clogging up 911 and plan today to unveil a new way to do just that.

So many people called 911 this past Fourth of July to complain about fireworks that witnesses to a motorcycle crash got a busy signal when they called 911 for help.

The motorcyclist later died.

People calling 911 for reasons other than true emergencies such as vehicle crashes or crimes are often a problem on the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve and during storms, county officials say.

Sedgwick County’s emergency communications director, Randy Bargdill, will talk today about when it’s appropriate time to call 9-1-1 as well as discuss changes within the system that will affect callers with non-emergencies.

After assessing a call, dispatchers will route people calling about non-emergencies to a recording that will tell them where to get help.

In a news release Thursday, the county said that “911 is a precious resource that is effective in saving lives and reducing damage to property when used correctly.”

About 3,555 calls came in to 911 from midnight the Sunday before the Fourth of July to 3 p.m. the day after the holiday. During a typical 24-hour period, the center averages 1,200 to 1,500 calls.

Out of the 3,555 calls, nearly 20 percent were calls complaining about fireworks.

Emergency workers were finally notified of the injured motorcyclist near 37th Street North and Ridge Road when a witness, after several failed attempts to contact 911, called his father, an off-duty police officer. The officer then used his police radio to contact dispatchers.

At the same time, another witness knew there was an EMS station on Maize Road and began driving there to alert paramedics. On the way, the witness flagged down a Maize police officer, who alerted 911 and headed to the scene.

Last year, the county received 440,000 emergency phone calls and 178,000 non-emergency calls. That averages to 1,205 emergency calls a day or an average of 1,693 calls per day including those for non-emergencies.

Through Sept. 30 this year, the county has fielded 339,000 emergency calls and 120,000 non-emergency calls.

The county expects that more calls will be placed to 911 this year than last.

Read the story here.

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