Have you ever called 9-1-1?

[LOL!]

Wow, I didn't expect to read about so many experiences. Thanks for all the stories. I'm going to talk about choking on food at dinner tonight

 

[Fedup]

Wow, I didn't expect to read about so many experiences. Thanks for all the stories. I'm going to talk about choking on food at dinner tonight

My husband choked on food, I had to do a few Heimlich maneuvers in the past. I never was taught anything about it, but as a small person, I did the best I could and I didn't have to call 911. It would be too late if I did.
I also got plenty of practice with my dad too, when he was alive, I took him out to eat, he often choked on food. I just didn't want to be the one he died on.

 

[PawPrint53]

The first time I called was driving down a major street one night in Ft. Collins, CO. I noticed that the stop light was green on all four sides, which seemed to me like an accident waiting to happen. However, the emergency operator was like, so what? Okay, my bad, I thought that maybe prevention was a good alternative to an accident.

The second time was several decades later when my DH, who was undergoing chemo for breast cancer, did a face plant in the bathroom at 1:00 am and couldn't get up. The firefighters came first, followed by the paramedics. I just wanted them to put him back into bed (he's a big guy, and I couldn't lift him), but they took him to the hospital where where they pronounced him okay after hours of waiting, and gave us a taxi voucher home.

 

[Packman]

I had someone call 911 for me one time. I was in a car accident. No, my car was not damaged. No, I wasn't driving. No, I wasn't a passenger. No, I wasn't a pedestrian. I was the only person in the waiting area of a barber shop trying to get a haircut. A women drove through the front of the place and sent me flying. I ended up in the back of the shop. No one saw me fly through, so they thought everyone was alright. I had the wind knocked out of me and I couldn't speak. So I got up and sat in one of the barber chairs and finally one of the employees saw me. I wasn't badly hurt, just some glass cuts and bruises, but I went to the hospital just to make sure. Busy night in the ER so I had to lay there for 5 hours. They took X-rays and said I could go home. Now it's midnight, I'm single at the time, and have no ride back to my car. Called for a taxi twice and none showed up. I found a cop in the parking lot of the hospital and asked if he could give me a ride. He said it was against policy. I told him I'd tell him a story he'd remember for the rest of his life if he gave me the ride. So he did and we had a big laugh about it. Strange, but all true! I should have sued the women behind the wheel, but decided not to. She was not hurt but was crying wildly at the scene. I actually felt a little sorry for her. Her insurance paid for the ambulance and ER, and bought me a new suit since it was ruined.

 

[bhoferp]

We bought a new car last year. DH adjusted the rearview mirror. Since the car was new, we hadn't noticed the small red triangle on the lower right that says 911. I was pushing everything I could think of to try to stop the call from going through, but once it starts, there is no stopping it. We were totally embarrassed, but explained our mistake with great apologies. Our kids said maybe we bought too much car.

I've called 911 twice when DH has fallen and once when MIL had chest pains. Our service here is excellent and quick. I always ask that they turn off the siren once they get in our subdivision so as to not disturb the neighbors in the middle of the night.

 

[zedd]

Wow, I didn't expect to read about so many experiences. Thanks for all the stories. I'm going to talk about choking on food at dinner tonight

Choking on food, boy that takes me back....

I have EoE, an allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus. Seems to flare up for a time then goes into remission, One fine morning I made a plate of swirled eggs and toast, not unlike most mornings. The toast for some reason just wouldn't go down. Imagine drowning in your own saliva. I panicked which made the situation worse. Was tempted to call 911 but at the time we lived in town not five minutes from the hospital.

DW drove me to the ER where they took good care of me.

Someone with EoE having an "episode" doesn't benefit from the Heimlich maneuver.

What you guys gonna have for dinner?

 

[mystang52]

I've called 911 a few times, but the first was the most upsetting. Our 70-something neighbor banged on our door for help as he couldn't wake up his wife. DW and I went over and the woman was clearly dead on the bed, in a grotesque "pose." I called 911 while DW performed CPR, but it was to no avail. This was 35 years ago or so, and the memory still haunts me.

 

[growing_older]

I have called several times for several different reasons. I am always impressed with their speed and abilities. They have my most sincere respect and support.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

as usual i have a story

We called for a gas leak once. Fire Engine and two police cars showed up. The police approached first and then allowed the FM to enter. We don't live in a dangerous spot at all so still felt the police approach to start was weird.

i can tell you stories for days about the fake 911 calls that are made to lure in the police just to ambush them.

 

[pb4uski]

I've called 911 a number of times..

Most memorable was the summer of 1977. I had just graduated college and was at home in the early morning (probably about 6 am) getting ready for work, as was my roommate. We both hear a scream from the girl living right above us... roommate heads for his bedroom to get on pants (was in his underwear) and I head for the back door to take the outside stairs to see what is going on. As I open the door I see a man on the stairs with a shotgun pointed away from me (I shot trap as a kid so I knew what a shotgun was) and it goes off and I see the muzzle flash. I immediately reverse course, close and lock the door, grab the phone and retreat to the bathroom and call 911. Meanwhile, the girl upstairs shows up at the door so my roommate lets her in and closes and locks the door. Roommate later goes outside himself and talks down her husband (a friend) who had come home to find his wife in bed with another man and decided to take a shot at him.... he did wing the guy with a few bird shot and did a real good job on the corner of the building.

Anyway, by the time the cops got there everything was under control... other than I had to show the cop how to unload the shotgun.

Another time was when DS had a sledding accident that knocked him out cold. And a few times to report cars off the road during snowstorms.

 

[Nightcap]

A couple years back, I was in hospital for minor surgery and a major infection. I got a text in the middle of the night from DW that she was in a-fib. I called and didn't get an answer. I checked the "Find My Friend" feature and saw her blip barreling down the Highway towards me, 20 miles away, and I knew damned well she wasn't the one driving and there was only one possible destination.

Atrial fibrillation is not inherently dangerous, but when DW gets it, she gets confused and panicky and feels like she's going to die. If I'm there, I take care of making sure she takes the right pill and stays calm, and she generally cardioverts in an hour or two. But with me in hospital, she didn't know what to do, so she did the best thing under the circumstances and called 911. They came right over, and because it was heart-related, took her to the closest hospital.

Meanwhile, I had called a nurse, had my IV drip attached to a wheelchair and had myself wheeled down to the ER to meet her.

Married telepathy.

 

[FrankiesGirl]

Called 911 just after a hurricane, when the power was supposedly out, but a very large tree came down on the line at our next door neighbor's and sort of burst into flames, then dropped burning branches all over their shed and sort of looked like it was going to break the line as well.

Firetruck arrived in like 5 minutes (thank dog we live 4 blocks from the fire station!)

 

[Dash man]

I've called 911 several times, but the most memorable was after a Phillies game. We were in our car patiently waiting for traffic to move along. I noticed a man in the trunk of his car as a pickup truck was backing out of the spot behind him. The truck didn't see him and I was getting a bad feeling in my stomach. Sure enough the pickup truck crushed the man's leg who was leaning into his trunk. Screams followed. I called 911 as others went to aid the man. The 911 operator asked the address. I told her Citizen's Bank Park where the Phillies play, and gave her the parking lot location. She insisted on needing an address. Unbelievable! I told her to ask any cop, EMT or fireman and they would know where Citizens Bank Park is. She still wanted an address. Fortunately a supervisor was listening and took over, and the man ended up not being too seriously hurt.

 

[Koolau]

Also several times.

Mostly related to health issues with DW's family. Once when I called because FIL had collapsed on the floor with a stroke, the 911 operator said "Just a minute" and put me on hold for 2 or 3 minutes. Not sure that was a big deal in the situation, but had it been a fire, it might well have been. I'm sure 911 is like any other service. There will be good and bad service. I was never impressed when I called, though. YMMV

 

[SecondCor521]

What you guys gonna have for dinner?

Water sounds good.

I'm not sure if I've ever called 911, although I've been involved in three emergencies.

The first was when I was a lifeguard and a kid was pushed into water over his head...while he was chewing gum. I'm sure 911 was called. We evacuated the rest of the pool, he was pulled from the water by another lifeguard who happened to be closer. She started mouth-to-mouth and, after a minute or two, fished out the gum. Kid was thankfully OK but was still transported to the hospital by the EMTs.

The second was when I was a camp counselor, and a kid fell on his head on a talus slope and cut his forehead open right above his eye. A lot of stitches (20?), but no concussion and thankfully no neck injury. But he was transported to the hospital; IIRC I went with him in the back of the ambulance.

The last time (so far) was when a friend of my daughter's was threatening imminent suicide. Ended up calling the suicide hotline first I think, then called 911 to request a police dispatch to do a welfare check. Kid was OK then, although he continues to be troubled.

When my Mom died, she had been on hospice for about a year and we knew not to call 911. We called the hospice nurse, who confirmed that she had in fact passed away, then the hospice nurse called the funeral home.

 

[misanman]

Young grand daughter was at our house and DW let her play with a long deactivated cell phone that was in a drawer. Apparently there was enough battery left for her to accidentally dial 911. The sheriff showed up shortly for a wellness check.

We forgot that you can use a deactivated phone to call 911.

 

[pb4uski]

We are friends with a couple in their late 70s. The gentleman's health is fragile. He woke up from a nap to see his wife slumped over her computer and dialed 911. She woke up from her brief nap a few minutes later and was madder than a wet hen when she found out that he had called 911.

 

[LOL!]

These stories are quite something to read. Another 911 story:

I came home for lunch one day to find an ambulance at my house. Once inside, I learned that my MIL had dropped our 3-month old on his head, so she called 911. He had huge knot on his head. The baby was bawling his head off and she was still pressing an ice-cube hard onto his bump which if you know how hard ice is must have been quite painful.

Anyways, the EMT's said Everything looks OK and left.

But the mildly interesting part: My wife had called home before the drop to check in on her mom and our son. My MIL was carrying the baby to get to the phone and somehow got tangled up in the phone cord when she picked it up which caused her to drop the baby. The answering machine picked up the phone and started recording.

It recorded my cheerful wife saying "Hello! Anybody home! Oh, well, just checking in...." Then since the handset was off the hook, it kept on recording. Recorded was my MIL calling 9-1-1 in an absolutely terrified voice and breathing heavily with wailing in the background. Also the 9-1-1 operator responding.

I never ever let my wife listen to that recording.

 

[CardsFan]

About a year ago a neighbor fell in her garage. She has bad joints, and is a overweight, and she could not get up. She called us on her cell and we ran over to help. DW and I could not get her up, so I finally called 911. I explained the situation, that she was not injured (beyond bruises and ego), and she would appreciate no sirens.

They sent one fire truck, no sirens, and were extremely courteous and helpful. Two big fire men, using the proper technique, were able to give her the help she needed, with no follow-on "fuss".

I was very impressed by their consideration for both her safety and her self esteem.