Emergency Calls

Providentially God placed all the right people around Robert—the family sharing our banquet table included a respiratory therapist, nurse, and nursing student! All three joined hotel security staff in our hotel room to assess Robert’s breathing. The therapist even had a Pulse Oximeter to read his blood oxygen level. And indeed it was low enough for him to need oxygen. It was time to call 911!

Robert used the hotel’s portable oxygen tank until the ambulance arrived to take him to the Denver Health Medical Center and admitted to the ICU. The medical consensus was that the most likely cause of Robert’s breathing trouble was the cumulative effect of being in the Mile High City for a week. As a sea level resident of Florida, Robert was classified as a flatlander, and would be fine once he got back to sea level. And they were right. He used a portable oxygen concentrator for the flight home and, as predicted, he was fine soon after touch down in West Palm Beach, Florida.

All credit goes to God for taking care of us both during this stressful time. “God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.” Psalm 34: 7, Message

If this incident had happened 50 or so years earlier it would have been harder to call an ambulance. There was no coordinated 911 number and you had to know the local number of the emergency service you needed—fire, police, or medical. Also, the emergency number was often the same as the non-emergency number, meaning a busy signal was common.

In the United States (U.S.), the first 911 call was placed on February 16, 1968. However, it has taken years for this emergency number to go nationwide. Coverage has only increased gradually —17% in 1976; 50% in 1987; almost 93% in 1999 and 99% in March 2022. So as we appreciate this wonderful service, let’s bone up on some useful 911 facts:

1. If you’re not sure about your location, 911 can usually track cell phone callers.
2. Although texting to 911 is available in select areas, it’s better to call so operators can gather more information.
3. Amazon Alexa can not directly call 911, but Google and Siri can call via voice command.
4. You can call 911 even if your phone does not have a current service plan.
5. In an average year, around 240 million 911 calls are made in the U.S.

Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/photos/first-responders-ambulance-3323385/

You may also want to read:

• For a full account of the 911 Denver story, go to Chapter 14, Let Me Ride in “ALWAYS AN ADVOCATE: Champions of Change for People with Dwarfism and Disabilities” by Angela Muir Van Etten. https://angelamuirvanetten.com/always-an-advocate/
• “The History of 911: Celebrating More Than 50 Years of Emergency Calling.” August 7, 2023. https://www.911.gov/about/the-national-911-program-celebrates-50-years-of-911/
• Macy Meyer & Cynthia Paez Bowman. “Your Guide to Calling 911: Helpful Tips When Reporting an Emergency.” September 11, 2023. https://www.cnet.com/home/security/your-guide-to-calling-911-helpful-tips-when-reporting-an-emergency/

• “10 Things You Might Not Know About the United States’ 911 Emergency Telephone Number.” https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-criminal-justice/resource/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-united-states-911-emergency-telephone-number