Waukesha County dispatchers swamped with accidental 911 calls

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Waukesha County dispatchers were overloaded with 911 calls over the weekend. They had over 300 unintentional calls come through, taking up time and resources.

These unintentional consequences are caused by a feature already installed on your phone.

"They are saving lives," said Gary Bell, Waukesha County Director of Emergency Preparedness.

It's the emergency notification system on your smart devices.

"People are just setting them down," said Bell. "They’re pressing the button, and the button is launching a 911 call."

Bell said they've seen a %300 increase in abandoned 911 calls within the past few weeks. He said it's due to more activity as the weather changes.

"We can’t sustain that," Bell said. "We’re not going to be able to do the work." 

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You could make an accidental call by tapping your watch wrong or holding down the buttons on your phone. No matter how you accidentally call, don't hang up.

"It takes us half the time to resolve the issue with someone who has the device in their hand than it does when we have to try an attempted call back," Bell said. "You’re not in trouble."

It is necessary for the dispatcher to vet your call as soon as it goes through, especially if you hang up. According to Bell, it takes four minutes.

"For four minutes, someone is tied up trying to call back and verify there’s not a problem when a true emergency is being reported, and we can’t answer it," said Bell.

Using this weekend as an example, that's 1200 minutes wasted. Bell said the National Emergency Number Association is seeing this issue across the country and is working with tech companies to make things better - like making texting with 911 a possibility. Meanwhile, Bell offers some tips.

"Please pay attention to your device and how it accesses the emergency system that helps support you," said Bell. "We will be sure to send you that help when it’s needed. "