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Everybody knows that you don't make 911 calls unless you've got an emergency, right? Well, not entirely, because as you can see from this funny if not an infuriatingly dumb list of funny 911 calls operators have received, some people have a pretty bizarre idea of what exactly constitutes an emergency.
From the woman who thought her washing machine was possessed by the devil to the person who urgently needed to know whether it was legal for them to own a monkey, the emergency calls below will make you laugh, and maybe cry a little. Then you'll realize just how dumb some people can be and how unbelievable their short stories are.
Still, some of these conversations might be prank calls, but we don't think that pranking an emergency station is worth the fine and lawsuit that comes with it, as every call is being tracked for caller ID.
Anyways, don't forget to check the funny stories that we've found on calling in for an emergency below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Not an operator, but my boyfriend who called in.
He usually worked a late shift, walking home about 2 am. This shift he got off work a few hours late...
BF: I'd like to call and report a fire. [We live in a fire prone area and it was the season.]
911: Where is it located sir?
BF: On the hillside just East of [City].
911: Can you be more specific? [Typing away in the background.]
BF: Yes, [gives a more detailed location]. Oh god, it's getting bigger! The whole top of the hill is on fire now!
911: Stay calm sir, we're sending somebody out.
BF: It's getting bigger! Doesn't anybody else see this?! It's lighting up the sky around it...it's huge! Oh god! Oh...oh, wait...
911: Sir?
BF: I am SO sorry...I'm not usually out this time of night, I just got off work late...that's, that's the sun...
911: ...
BF: I am so, so sorry for wasting your time, there is no fire, that's just the sun rising. Never mind. I'm really embarrassed...
911: That's fine, Sir. I will cancel the call, thank you for calling.
RELATED:
#2
Had another woman call saying her cat was stuck in a tree. I just knew she wanted the fire department to come save the cat, so I got my "that's only in movies/TV" speech ready. Then she said "...so my husband climbed up to get the cat and now he's stuck too."
#3
A quite pregnant (don't remember exactly how far along, but definitely past 30 weeks) woman calls to say that her doctor told her to refrain from having sex for the rest of the pregnancy and she didn't understand why. I looked at her file, and saw she was having pre-term contractions, so I explained that sexual activity can cause contractions, so it was safer to abstain so the baby could stay inside as long as possible.
She tearfully exclaims, "But how will I feed the baby?!?"
Me: "I'm sorry, ma'am, could you repeat that?"
Patient: "How will I feed the baby if I can't have sex?!?"
The patient was convinced that her baby was living off of her boyfriend's semen, and that it would starve if they stopped having sex. I explained about the umbilical cord, etc. but she refused to believe me until I asked her about single moms, lesbian moms, etc. and asked how she though their babies fed and grew. After a moment of silence, she thanked me, and started to hang up the phone, but not before I heard her screaming her boyfriends name.
That man had a good thing going for a while there. I honestly wasn't sure if I felt more sorry for him, or a baby growing up in that household.
#4
Just after I got cut loose from training, I received a priority one (meaning immediate response) animal ordinance call. Usually, this call is reserved for animals in traffic or vicious animals, where there is the potential for immediate threat to life.
The reporting party was a parent attending a school function. Caller advised there was a raccoon loose in the school.
I dispatched two officers to the call and they made it on scene. The officer then broadcasts the "suspect" description via radio. "Suspect is small, fast, and wearing a bandit mask. May have robbed a couple of trash cans. We lost him in a foot pursuit."
#5
Not a 911 operator, but I do work for a kids helpline. I recently got a call from a panicked 11-year-old boy who thought he had locked himself in a wardrobe while home alone. I was on the phone with him for a while before I suggested sliding the door instead of pushing it out like you would when entering or exiting a room. I heard a few sniffles on the other end of the line and then a quiet "Oh yeah, I forgot the door went like that."
#6
One woman called because she thought her house was being shot at. Turns out she forgot about her eggs boiling on the stove and they exploded. I wanted to give her a hug though, she was just a little old lady.
#7
A woman dialled 999 to say there were men in her house trying to take her away. The men in question were police officers who had come to arrest her
#8
Me: 911, where do you need assistance?
Drunk guy: At the convenient store. This guy won't sell me beer.
Me: Ok, why not?
Drunk guy: I can't show him my ID because I am not 21.
Me: Without an ID the clerk can not sell to you, especially if you are under age.
Drunk Guy: But other clerks let me bribe them before. I told him that and he still won't take my bribe and sell to me. Make him take the bribe!
Me: We won't force the clerk to accept your bribe. And definitely won't let him sell to a minor. Do you want to wait there and I can have an officer come talk to you in person?
Drunk Guy: Yea, I will sit outside and wait for you.
#9
The best story I have is a guy who called about a bobcat in front of the library. He called up out of breath and said there was a wild cat intimidating people so they could not enter or exit the building.
I was fairly close so I started to run over. I asked if anyone was injured and he said no. I was expecting a group of people held up at the entrance by a huge cat hissing at everyone. I told him to keep away from it and stay on the line.
When I got there I found a tabby cat perched on a bench.
I verified the caller and the cat he called about. I went over to the cat with him and started pet him, he rolled over and let me scratch his belly.
The guy was shocked and said "oh, someone has domesticated it."
#10
One guy called FRANTICALLY saying that he saw the dead body of a young woman, early 20s, wearing nothing but shorts. He gave a detailed description, hair color, skin color, body position, the whole bit and said she was by the side of the interstate (in the middle of an affluent suburban area at rush hour) so we figured this had to be a really fresh crime scene. We started scrambling together officers to get there ASAP, a big hassle considering it's rush hour and they're all dealing with accidents and stuff like that. On top of that, we can't say what the issue is on the radio is because we have too many busibodies who monitor police radio, then call us to try to get juicy details, or othewise meddle. So we have to get these officers to their cars to read the computer, leaving other issues, etc. And these are suburban cops in the Midwest, a murder is a damn big deal.
The guy calls back a few minutes later. "Uh, I checked again, it's a dead deer."
Peeved, I announce on the radio that the trip is cancelled, "it was a deer". An officer sarcastically calls back: "With shorts on?"
#11
"911, what is the address of the emergency?"
"I need an ambulance"
"What's going on?"
"I just, I need an ambulance"
"Can you tell me why?"
"My dick is stuck in the wall OKAY?!"
"Please stay on the line for Fire/Rescue"
Hans 7 years ago
On the other hand: I saw a statistics on how many people come to ER with things stuck in various body openings...according to the statistic, all of them claimed their surprisingly were naked and stumbling and right fell onto the objects. Luckily, as the medics further investigated, they had also spilled lubricant before which miracplously hit the objects before they "fell".
#12
My uncle was a dispatcher in a suburb of Minneapolis/St.Paul, and would tell me stories whenever I saw him. My favorite goes like this:
Uncle: 911, what's your emergency?
Caller: Yes, I'd like to report two suspicious vehicles passing something back and forth in Potawatomi park.
Uncle: Ok, we'll send an officer out to assess.
Uncle: Dispatch to car 45, two suspicious vehicles in Potawatomi park, passing items back and forth.
Car 45: Uhhh...car 45 to dispatch, that's me and Officer Somethingerother, passing Cheetos...
Uncle: 10-4
#13
One of my personal favorites was someone who called and it went like this:
"I know this is not an emergency, but there is a person in a giant monkey suit running down the road humping all the fire hydrants"
I had to hold back my laughing as best I could - turns out he was right, when I sent the police there there was a kid in a monkey costume humping every hydrant he came across.
#14
Long story short. Helped a little girl do her math homework.
#15
I'm not a dispatcher, but back in my EMS days I was dispatched on a call of a child being poisoned. Upon our arrival we find a 14 year old male and his mother. The mother was insisting we take them to the hospital so he could have his stomach pumped because he had swallowed chewing gum. The child was looking at us as if to say, "I'm sorry my mother is crazy."
One year later, same address, same family, called for poisoning. Upon arrival we find the same kid and mother. The mother wanted to be taken to the hospital because the kid had admitted to his mother that he had taken a hit of marijuana when he was visiting friends the week before. The kid had the same look on his face.
#16
I've had someone call 911 to wish me a merry xmas when I was working at 3am on on Christmas Morning.
#17
Paramedic here,
Once we had a young woman call 911 around 2am saying that her legs were turning blue. Turns out she had worn a new pair of jeans to the club that night.
#18
Guy who called to swear out a complaint against his roommate because the guy stole his heroin. Yes, they both got a ride.
#19
Someone called 911 about a "machine gun mounted on a car". It was the Google maps car...
Kori K. Warriner 7 years ago
Hahaha! I can actually see the misunderstanding though. The Google maps car might look like that to some less-technologically savvy people.
#20
Me: "911. What is the address of your emergency?"
Caller: "Turtles...in Georgia"
M: "Yes, ma'am. Turtles are an indigenous species to the state of Georgia."
C: "Really?"
M: "Yes, ma'am."
C: "Huh. Well what do you do when there is one in your yard?"
M: "Leave it alone."
C: "It's driving my dogs crazy!"
M: "Is the turtle endangering your dogs?"
C: "No."
M: "Are the dogs endangering the turtle?"
C: "No. They're on the other side of the fence."
M: "Well then just leave the turtle alone and he'll go along on his merry turtle way."
C: "Ok. I guess so."
#21
One time, some guy called 911 because he had multiple women in his bed that he didn't know and who refused to leave.
#22
One woman called saying that every time she went outside the frogs said mmm pussy.
#23
A friend who used to be a police operator once told me she had a hysterical call from a Chinese lady, who was unintelligible but clearly distressed. They sent an officer round, apparently she'd found a hedgehog in her garden and had no f*cking clue what it was - assumed it was an alien or something and freaked out.
#24
Caller: A deer just swam across the river behind my house.
Me: Okay?
Caller: Well I am worried it might be cold.
Me:.......Well there is nothing we can do about a deer being cold. Didn't it run off after swinning the river?
Caller: Yes.
Me: Well ma'am it's a wild animal and I'd guess it's going to be fine.
Caller: ok
#25
"911, what's your emergency?"
"THERE IS A GODDAMN ROCK ON MY LAWN. A ROCK."
"Um... A rock?"
"DID YOU NOT F*CKING HEAR ME? THERE IS A ROCK ON MY LAWN. SOMEONE DID THIS ON PURPOSE. A GODDAMN ROCK IN MY LAWN. I HAD TO DRIVE AROUND IT ON MY LAWNMOWER. A GODDAMN ROCK."
"What's your address?"
"You're f*cking 911 and you don't know my goddamn address? What the f*ck are my taxes paying you for? F*cking useless. Goddamn rock."
"Sir, what is your address?"
"LOOK AT ME ON GOOGLE EARTH YOU CAN SEE ME BECAUSE THERES A GODDAMN ROCK IN MY LAWN!"
At this point, the map finally correlated with his location and he was in the next county. I let them deal with it. I don't know how it turned out.
#26
My mom is a 911 operator, she gets some insanely stupid calls. I remember a few years ago, there was a huge pileup involving several cars and fatalities. Clearly it caused miles of traffic. A woman called 911, insisting that she get escorted out of the traffic by a trooper, because she "had to get home", and it was "ridiculous that she should be stuck like that". Like, people are dead, lady, sorry you're not gonna make it home for Jeopardy.
#27
Got a call from a man that someone vandalized his snowman.
#28
"I want to report an attempt murder. I asked them not to put mushrooms on my pizza, as I'm allergic and they forgot, so it's attempted murder"
#29
6:30 Christmas morning. 9-1-1 goes off. "9-1-1. what's your emergency?"
Breathless, panicky voice "How do I get the cranberry sauce out of the can without it coming out in chunks?"
"Open the other end and slide it out on a plate."
"OH! THANK YOU! You are brilliant!"
I wasn't considered so brilliant once I had to dispatch an officer over there to educate her on proper 9-1-1 usage. Merry Christmas, here's your citation.
source: 4 years as 9-1-1 dispatcher/supervisor in rural Alaska
#30
Entitled rich brat demanding an officer drive her back home because she spent her travel money partying; she felt since her father was a well-known surgeon, and a "higher taxpayer" she should get a break and get a ride. I told her no and hung up on her.
#31
I have been in the 911 biz for over 22 years. If a caller starts the call with "I swear I'm not crazy" then you need to buckle up for some insanity. A guy started a call with those words after escaping from his apartment and running to the closest 7-11. He swore that his roommates were turning into giant crabs. The was going to show the officers that they were currently in giant cocoons transforming. As you might expect he was tripping balls.
#32
Also had one a couple of years ago where a dad called to ask for an ambulance because his 17 yr old daughter had a candle stuck up her anus. He tried to explain that she said she had gotten out of the shower and slipped and fell "butthole first" onto the candle... Medics said they found KY jelly with the candle so I think we all know what was going on there.
#33
Guy calling to argue that his crystal meth is legal because he made it with store-brought products with his own hard-earned money.
#34
Caller: I’ve been poisoned.
Me: Ok, we’re sending an ambulance. Tell me what happened.
Caller: I’ve overdosed
Me: What did you take?
Caller: Pot
Me: Marijuana?
Caller: Yes. I’m dying. Please hurry.
Turns out. She was just super high.
#35
Got a call from a guy wanting the police to come to his address because the guy he sold a bag of weed to wouldn't pay him
Gave me his name, address and date of birth and the name, address and phone number of the other guy as well.
Both got a visit from unit soon afterwards.
#36
Caller: My boyfriend took my dog!
Me: And why'd he do that?
Caller: Because he's an asshole!
Me: No, I mean what possessed him to take the animal?
Caller: Cause he's a f*cker!
Me: ...... Why does he have the dog...
Caller: Cause he's a piece of shit!
Me: ......... Alright, I'll send an officer out to talk to you.
Eulalie Grace 7 years ago
Too funny. I'd have a very hard time not losing it, as long as the dog was OK :)
#37
Had a guy call asking if it was legal to shoot his neighbor because his hedges were hanging over his property and he considered it tresspassing.
#38
"I'd like to report a suspicious man, the only description I can give is he is turkish / middle eastern"
Me: "What is he doing that's suspicious?"
Them: "Walking down my street."
#39
I had someone a few months ago call 911 to ask if a tablespoon was the big spoon or the little one.
#40
Me: 911, Whats your emergency?
Lady: My smoke detector is going off, and I think there is a HAZMAT GOING ON!
Me: Is there fire or smoke in your home?
Lady: No
Me: Is it chirping? Maybe it's a low battery sound?
Lady: No!
Me: Did you damage the detector at all?
Lady: NO!!! I took it off the ceiling, unplugged the hard wires and took out the battery....It's still alarming!
Me: Ma'am how is that possible? You are telling me that it it's alarming with no power source...? And what were you mentioning about a Hazmat?
Lady: UGH!!!! THE NUCLEAR POWER SOURCE, DO TO MERCURY INJECTION FROM THE POWER PLANT IN THIS DETECTOR, IS MAKING THIS THING GO OFF! IT WONT STOP! HEAR! HAVE A LISTEN!
Me: ....(hears no sound but her heavy breathing)....
Lady: I WANT TO TALK TO THE KING NUCLEAR EMPORER HOMER SIMPSON OF SPRINGFIELD.
Me: ...(Holds mic away from face laughs uncontrollably)...
Lady: HELLO!? SIR!? ARE YOU LISTENING?!?!
Me: Yes ma'am, total emergency, the Fire Department is on the way to help assist you...
Night shift at 911 always got the best calls.
#41
Mine: an aggressive goose at a city park that was chasing people and biting them on the butt. So literally a goose trying to goose people.
#42
Had a drunk person call to report he was being harassed. Truth was..... He was being arrested by our officers for throwing pizza at people. All I heard in the background was one of my officers saying to him "that better not be our dispatcher on the phone" followed by some muffled talking and my officer taking the phone and saying "he will be taking a ride with us now" and hung up.
#43
A lady called 911 and asked if I could tell the fire department to pick up a fire and move it a mile or two north so the smoke wouldn't blow into their housing community.
#44
Caller: I need an am-ba-lance.
Me: What are you needing the ambulance for tonight?
Caller: I need the am-ba-lance to come out and give me a pregnancy test.
Me: Well, they don't carry that kind of equipment on board. If you are wanting to have them come get you and take you to the hospital to test you they could.
Caller: I'm not going to the hospital. I want the am-ba-lance to come give me the test.
Me: Well, we don't carry those tests on our ambulances, they could only take you to the hospi....
Caller: YOU AREN'T LISTENING TO ME! I AM NOT GOING TO THE DAMN HOSPITAL. THE AM-BA-LANCE NEEDS TO COME OUT AND GIVE ME THE TEST!
Me: I don't think you are hearing me, we don't have that equipment on board. Why don't you try going to popular drugstore and just pick up the test there?
Caller: They sell those there? How much are they?
#45
I just cut off my penis, and I'm going to flush it down the toilet before you get here! (He did.)
#46
The funniest non crazy stories was a really rich and affluent guy who lived in a huge house called about a disheveled looking suv at the bottom of his huge driveway and it wasn't the gardener's or housekeeping. The cop had to run the tags and it turns out it belonged to his daughter and he had bought it for her.
#47
Because an Arab man had sent her a friend request on Facebook and she wondered if we had a terrorism task force that should know about it.
#48
I don't know if its the dumbest call but one time we had a hostage situation. There was a helicopter in the area circling for several hours. We get nosey neighbor calls wanting to know whats going on, can't give out any info just tell them to stay inside. So I answer another call, asking about the helicopter. Roll my eyes and give the same speech, the girl asked "but is the helicopter ok? Why does it keep going in circles like that?" She thought they were going to crash land.
#49
"What's your emergency?"
"MY CAT JUST SCRATCHED ME!!"
"Is it a serious wound? are you bleeding?"
"No, but it really hurt!"
#50
To say they called the regular line and that girl they talked to wasn't very helpful (dude it's still me).
#51
My dad worked as a dispatcher in the Netherlands, got a call from a man who was clearly very distressed, crying, asking for help.
My dad, being professional, stayed calm and asked what the cause for the distress was:
"Ajax have lost again..."
For those not familiar with football/soccer - Ajax is a Dutch football team.
#52
A domestic abuse call, guy playing GTA 5 was severely pissed his wife wouldn't stop chasing him down and killing him IN GAME. His wife was bigger than him or i'm sure it would have been the real deal.
#53
Hello? How do you baste a turkey?
This is 911, ma'am, what is the nature of your emergency?
I need to know how to baste a turkey!
Basically you spoon the drippings back onto the top to help keep it moist. Why did you call 911 to ask that?
Well, you knew, didn't you?
#54
We had an old woman call in and say there was two guys dress in blue trying to break in her house and rape her. So we send about 6 cops over to her house. It turns out it was the gas company reading her gas meter.
#55
I worked on 9/11. I had people call 911 for weeks after because there were "3 brown guys in a car and I thought you should know about it."
#56
We had an Amber Alert go out; guy stabbed the mother of his children and took the kids. Man calls to complain that the Alert is interrupting his TV and that the father should be left alone because he's doing a good thing to be with his kids.
#57
A woman who had seen a clown in London selling balloons for £5 each, which was much more than other clowns were charging
#58
Not me but a family member who was a dispatcher for 20+ years: Someone called in because a kid (5-6 or so) had somehow gotten locked inside a newspaper box- you know, the kind with a window on the front that lets you see the front page. One of the responders spent a bit of time wondering aloud how they were going to break the "window" on the box without harming the kid.
After a minute or two of this, a different responder put forth the suggestion that perhaps they should try inserting a couple of quarters first. It worked. Box opened, kid got out and was fine, and no paper boxes were harmed.
#59
I was a 911 operator for a year, been in EMS 10 years. Lady called because her cat killer her roommates bird and there was blood and feathers everywhere. She wanted someone to come out and clean it up. She wouldn't stop calling and eventually got arrested for 911 abuse.
#60
Man called and asked us if we could dispatch police to his home for assistance. He explains relationship problems so we think domestic.
Officers roll over and respond
Come across approx 15 mins later.
Headquarters, 423
Go ahead
Male requested we break up with his girlfriend for him. We explained to him that we would not. 10-08
Fkn idiot.
#61
Last week, we took a call of 8 ufo's above a house. They were stars.
#62
A stolen TV remote.
Fyi, it wasn't stolen just fell between the couch cushions
#63
Woman calling to ask where she can get a paternity test done. For herself. I was confused and asked her, to clarify, if she was needing to determine who the father of a child was, she'd have to maybe contact a clinic. No. She wanted to know how can she find out if she was the mother of someone who claimed she gave birth to them. No mental illness, no hysterical pregnancy, she was just dumb.
troufaki13 7 years ago
Maybe she gave the baby up for adoption years ago and wanted to find out if it's hers?
#64
A caller dialled 999 at 04:00 on a Saturday morning and asked: "Where is the best place to get a bacon sandwich right now?"
#65
Caller: "I want to file charges against my granddaughters dog."
Operator: "Why sir, what did the dog do?"
Caller: "Well, I think the dog has been molesting her."
Operator: "Ok just tell me what happened."
Caller: "Well I opened the bathroom door last time I was at my son's house. His daughter is 6 years old and was on the floor, the dog was...licking her in her privates."
Operator(trying not to laugh): "Sir, are you sure that the dog is the suspect or the victim? It is just a dumb animal, it sounds to me like your grand daughter was taking advantage of it. Either way, I don't think it's something the police can handle, I can give you the number for animal control if you want?"
Caller: "You know what, you have a point..."
Operator: "Yes, a 6 year old is definitely more mentally aware than a dog. You should talk to her parents about it, not involve the police."
Caller: "Oh ok, thanks buddy! Bye!"
OdangaUsagi 7 years ago
If a 6-year-old is doing this, then someone else has molested her. A 6-year-old doesn't think about sexual stimulation.
#66
Had a lady trying to call an ambulance because she opened a package from Amazon at home and she was afraid that that her kid was about to have a major allergic reaction... From the packing Peanuts.... because the kid was allergic to peanuts, and when her kid mentioned what they were called, she freaked out.
Maggie Grover Bacher 7 years ago
it's been said before but: google. please people, there is more to education than the 3 r's. basic common sense
#67
"My washing machine is telling me to file for bankruptcy." This was a confused elderly lady so it was actually a little sad, but I'm including it because it left me completely speechless at the time. I think my response was, "I... you... what?"
#68
A woman in my town once called 911 because her washing machine was making strange noises and she thought it was possessed by the devil.
#69
My neighbour's sprinkler is on and it's getting MY lawn wet..... I wish I was kidding
#70
"University 911, where's your emergency?"
"**** Hall parking lot. My car's frozen over and I broke my scraper! Send Police to help!"
"Sir, this is an emergency line. Are you hurt or in any danger?"
"No, but if I don't get my car out, the store's going to run out of iPhones! I need to get into line now!"
#71
I had a man call and complain because his neighbor had a Mexican flag flying above the American flag in his yard. He wanted us to arrest him and take his flags down. I told him we wouldn't do that, and he asked to speak to the watch commander. He kept calling and reciting the flag code to me. He eventually wanted to complain to internal affairs. I never got the official complaint so I'm sure they didn't make him happy either.
#72
The most favorite call I've ever had was this woman calling because the lady in front of her at the church's chicken drive thru was taking too long to place her order.
She called 911. Her emergency was that she was trying to get chicken.
#73
A couple weeks ago a woman called and said she put her daughter in a zero gravity machine to keep her safe and then accidentally shrunk her. She is now between the carpet and the carpet padding and you can see her moving around like a worm underground.
Zenozenobee 7 years ago
Either it's a joke, either someone need a shrink.....either I 'd like to know what she took, it seems pretty efficient
#74
"911 what is your emergency?"
"I have an intruder in my house."
"Okay, what is your address?"
"It's a bird."
#75
I've had someone call 911 because they were lonely. About 1,000 times.
#76
Woman calling to complain that her McDonald's triple thick milkshake isn't thick.
#77
Had a woman call because her "baby" wasn't breathing, so we gave her instructions to do CPR. Medics got there and found her doing CPR on her dog.
#78
"The neighbor is giving my horse drugs." - 0500 or earlier, every. Single. Day. Usually followed up about an hour later by: "It's crack!"
#79
Female caller asking on 911 where she could find crack in her neighborhood. According to her there was a crack shortage in town and she was coming up empty everywhere. Calltaker asked for her location, she gave it with no hesitation (she was standing about a block away from our dispatch center) and PD promptly picked her up for public intox.
#80
Me: 911 What's your emergency
Him: "My Grandma's really starting to piss me off"
#81
Callers who missed their alarm and were going to be late for a flight wanted officers to take them to the airport.
#82
Someone called because the sand at the volleyball court was too hot. It was 80 degrees out. I never really did figure out what exactly they wanted me to do about it.
#83
Suspicious Hispanic males in the alley. Complainant (person calling 911) is very nervous and upset, thinks they're casing the neighborhood to burglarize houses because it's a nice area.
I get there.
It's a bucket truck. From the power company. Replacing a transformer. Employees were all uniformed.
They were Mexican, though, she was right about that.
I asked them if someone had been watching them through the blinds (she was), told them why I was there, we all laughed and I went back to work.
AnnieLaurie Burke 7 years ago
Sad there are so many ignorant bigots around. Maybe we could get that homicidal cat to take them out.
#84
One was the pregnant lady who INSISTED I wake up the on-call (chief of OB/GYN at the hospital was on call that night) because she had itchy nipples. Itchy f*cking nipples. But because I'm not medically trained, if the patient says it is an emergency, I have to page it. He was NOT happy with me.
#85
I had a caller who said she witnessed a car accident. I took all the information (location, vehicles involved, etc). Just before I dispatch PD she tells me that she saw it in her dream the night before. She took a trip to the psych ward of the hospital.
#86
Had a woman call 911 because she saw someone driving down the road with his foot out the window. She was following him the whole time, and admitted he had his seatbelt on, wasn't texting or speeding, he just had his foot out the window.
She wanted the police to pull him over, to which I had to explain he wasn't breaking any laws.
She couldn't comprehend that driving with your foot out the window is not illegal, and proceeded to hang up on me, then call 911 again because apparently I didn't know the law and she NEEDED someone to stop this man. We connected her to a deputy who told her if she didn't stop calling 911 for stupid reasons he was going to ticket her for abuse of emergency communications.
#87
A woman reported "either a fox or a werewolf" standing on a street corner.
#88
One woman called sobbing because the snow plow filled in the end of her driveway that she just shoveled.
#89
"I was watching porn, and a window popped up telling me the FBI locked my computer for viewing child porn."
#90
"There are some kids hanging around on the street!" "What are they doing?" "They're just stood around talking!" "... ... ..." "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
#91
One woman called 911 saying all of her smoke alarms were going off and her garage smelled funny.
Okay get everyone out of the house. Do you know why your garage smells funny?
No but I started my car and left all the doors shut.
#92
Elderly lady calls 911, she asks what happened, why was it dark, where was the sun. You could hear the anxiety and concern in her voice. It was like 3am. It took some back and forth before he finally explains it's the middle of the night. She actually realizes what's up and apologizes for calling.
#93
I had a lady call 911 because she saw whales in the ocean and thought they were in distress.
#94
Called to investigate 'puppies whining inside a Chinese food restaurant'...There were no puppies.
#95
I've had someone call 911 in a rural community because a black dude was walking down the street and "we don't get their kind here".
#96
"How far down is it snowing?" All the way to the ground, now get the f*ck off my emergency line!
#97
A man called to say his house was infested with hundreds of ant size dogs.
Vlad Horobet 7 years ago
What's worse, to be infested of 100 ant sized dogs or 1 dog sized ant?
#98
One that happens more than you would think is parents calling asking help from the police to help parent their child. "I need someone here to tell my son/daughter to do their homework/take a bath/wake them up/make them go to school."
#99
Guy who went with two girls to a hotel room for sexy times called to complain they stole $50 and kicked him out of the room, my senior dispatcher told him it wasn't theft, it was payment for services rendered, but he'd be happy to send an officer to arrest him as well.
#100
I had a woman calling hysterical, sounded really serious. I finally get her calmed down enough to tell me what's going on... she was scared of a pigeon that wouldn't fly away. She was safe in her car with 2 young kids. I was berated at and called useless because I wouldn't send an officer to shoo it away for her.
#101
She called 911 because she lost her phone... in her house... and wanted me to call it so she could find it. Apparently she was borrowing a friend's phone that could only make emergency calls.
#102
Paramedic here. We responded to a call for a woman that ate a jalapeno and her mouth hurt. Upon arriving at the scene, we got cancelled because she ate some bread and drank milk.
#104
People call several times a day about squirrels in their yard. Not even squirrels that are acting weird, just squirrels.
#105
911 responder (paramedic) here. 3am 911 call for unknown medical aid, lights and sirens. Upon arrival, what's wrong sir? "I can't sleep!" So you want to go to the hospital? "No, can you give me something to sleep? I just started a new sleeping pill tonight and it's not working." No sir, we can only take you to the hospital. We're not a mobile pharmacy. "Oh, then never mind, you can leave. I'll just call my doctor in the morning."
#106
A guy called hoping we could go in and recover his bondage equipment from a friend's house after that friend died.
#107
EMT here, I once responded to a man in his mid to late sixties lights and siren. On arrival instead of finding him experiencing abdominal pain like he told the dispatcher he simply had an itchy belly. I get that it itches and that sucks, But do you honestly think this is a good reason to occupy an emergency ambulance? Not only did he make us take him to the ER but asked why we weren't driving with the lights on. Good thing stupid isn't contagious.
Tanya Coco 7 years ago
Stupid is in fact contagious when it breeds. Unfortunately, that happens quite often.
#108
Just got off work and the last call of the night was a group of college girls running back and forth around their apartment from a possum, squealing (the girls, not the possum). I've heard people get stabbed to death and make less of a fuss.
#109
We had a call for a guy with a toothache. At 3AM. On a Saturday. The guy stated that he'd been hurting for about three weeks, and no it wasn't getting any worse. He was insisting on going to the hospital no matter how much we discouraged him.
Then he keeled over and went into cardiac arrest. Not so stupid anymore.
Gary Scott 7 years ago
Toothache, or aching in the jaw, is a potential symptom of a heart attack.
#110
"There's a sophomore here, and I think he's too drunk."
"Do you think he has alcohol poisoning? Is he conscious and alert, breathing?"
"Umm....he's breathing and stuff, he just, he --- can't get on the toilet."
"Excuse me?"
"I've been watching him for the last 30 minutes. He keeps trying to get on the toilet, and....failing."
"Okay then, I'll send you an ambulance."
"It's kind of entrancing. He's trying SO HARD and he just can't get on top of it."
#111
"There's a bicycle parked up next to the bus stop near my house, reporting it as suspicious because I've never seen it there before."
#112
"80 y/o male, took an ambien and feels drowsy" at around 2 am. We came, tucked him in, went home.
#113
A man called to say his 50p coin was stuck in a washing machine at his local launderette and wanted police to retrieve it
#114
"My neighbor is watering her lawn, and it's not her day to water the lawn."
#115
"911, what's your emergency?"
"Yeah, I ordered chicken wings for delivery like an hour ago. Now the pizza place is closed and they won't answer the phone. They stole my money!"
"Sir, did you call 911 because of missing chicken wings?"
"Uh..." click
#118
15 year old girl said there was a 3 foot monster, we thought it was a rabid dog. Turns out it was a 2 inch spider...
Luna Kittenwarrior 7 years ago
Arachnophobics... when they're severe, they can do stupid things. No offense to arachnophobics, though.
#119
I've had someone call 911 to ask what the fines for parking tickets are.
#120
A man who did not have change for a parking machine claimed staff at a car park had kidnapped him because they were refusing to let him out for free
#121
A man called 999 as he was advised to call 111 but did not know the number
Lauren Towner 7 years ago
For those unaware, 111 is the non-emergency medical phone number here in the UK (NHS 111 service). Fun additional facts; 101 is the non-emergency police number :) and 112 works the same as the 999 emergency number :D
#122
Someone called 911 and spoke Cantonese only. Since we couldn't translate we took him to the closest hospital. Come to find out he needed a ride for his appointment, and we took him to the wrong hospital. Needless to say he was pissed. F*ck him, that's not what 911 is for.
#123
You took my husband to the hospital, but you left his dog here and now it has to pee. You need to come take it out. I can't walk outside.
#124
I was a 911 dispatcher in a small rural county for about 2 years. After some training I was finally taking calls and the very first 911 call that came in was from a middle-aged man who was driving with his elderly mother. He had stopped to get gas or something and accidentally locked his keys in the car, and his mother couldn't figure out how to get out of the locked car. I'm all "Ok sir, can you ask her to open the door?", he's all "I'm trying to get her to unlock the door but I don't think she understands what I'm saying." I'm at a loss for words as this wasn't the emergency I was expecting, meanwhile I'm looking to my supervisor for some assistance and she is laughing so hard she can't help. They eventually figured it out between themselves, but it seemed pretty stupid at the time.
#125
Had a woman call because she was afraid her boyfriend would beat her. for being pregnant. with the alien's baby. mind you, he spends most of his time IN the tv on guiding light... so she's only worried about at night when he's not in the tv.
Maggie Grover Bacher 7 years ago
and we sent someone to help her find a nice safe hospital room, right?
#126
Once a man called wanting us to come out and remove the squirrels from his neighbor's trees because they were occasionally dropping nuts in his yard and he was tired of cleaning them up.
I told him no one would remove squirrels so he asked that someone remove the trees from his neighbor's yard.
#127
A few years ago, over the course of a week a man called about 10 times to tell us he got his head stuck in a fish bowl and swallowed a fish. He refused to tell us where he was.
#128
Caller: Hi! I'd like to report a roberry. I was just over at the Wendy's drive-through where I ordered a double. Well, I just got home and found out they gave me a single. I want you to send the Police out to arrest them for theft of a hamburger patty.
#129
Guy pulled up in a car and asked another guy for money. So guy have him $40. Guy then drove away with the money. Guy called saying he'd been robbed, because he expected the guy to give the money back...
#130
My mom works as a 911 operator. She got a call one time from a girl in gym class at the local high school. She was in a panic and completely serious saying there was a squirrel on top of a telephone pole at the school and it wasn't coming down.
#131
Someone called because they were "charged" by a baby squirrel. I LOLed when I got dispatched to that one.
Robert Bailey 7 years ago
that's the most foul, cruel and bad tempered rodent you ever set eyes on.
#132
I had someone call to see if the fire department could try a kite out of a tree. She was persistent because the kite cost $200.
#133
A grown man called at 2am once to report that he saw a cat running around outside and he thought it was a little too cold out and instead of stopping to try and get the cat himself, he wanted first responders to send out a search party.
Patrick Bateman 7 years ago
Meanwhile two murders, a fatal fire, and a domestic abuse incident occurred and couldn't be reported because idiots tie up the lines for things like this.
#134
Just today a lady could not get off of her toilet. I had to put in a call for paramedics because she said she was stuck to the thing. And a call for the police department because her door was locked and we needed forced entry.
Elizabeth Molloy 7 years ago
How is this funny/ridiculous? People *have* been stuck like this.
#136
Caller: My phone is locked and I can only make emergency calls.
Operator: Is this an emergency?
Debbie Victoria 7 years ago
this happened to my late mother a couple time..... she would get absolutely irate. It finally occurred to her to drive to the nearby fire station, and one of the nice firefighters would fix it for her!!! (apparently reading the instructions on the screen and following them were beyond her)
#137
Guy got stuck head first in a kids slide with his arms stuck at his sides. Had to be extracted by the fire department.
#138
Another woman calling, terrified, whispering into the phone. Says she's locked in a closet with her kids. I'm thinking a home invasion robbery, and as soon as I get her address, I slam the call in and get ready to start updating quickly. "Why was she huddled in her closet, terrified and on the verge of tears, milkcustard?" Glad you asked. This woman saw a mouse in her house and was terrified and didn't know what to do because her husband was deployed, so she wanted an officer to come out and tak
Cassie 7 years ago
Once had a mouse run through our living room. My husband and son leapt to the back of the couch. I grabbed a pair of leather work gloves, caught it, and let it go outside where one of my hens snatched it up and swallowed it whole. I do freak about spiders and wasps, though (but not enough to call 911!).
#139
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Yeah, uhh, I'm at and I'm in a wheelchair. I can't find any bathrooms big enough for a wheelchair."
"Ok, I haven't been to the fair yet, so I'm not sure where it is, but I am guessing they have one. Have you tried going to the entrance and asking them?"
"No! So what am I supposed to do? Just piss in my chair?"
Then he hung up. I'm not sure of the outcome.
#140
Three o'clock in the morning, thanksgiving day morning, I had a guy call who said his throat was dry... No joke. I asked if he had a cup of water or anything, he (of course) said no. So I asked him what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to go to the hospital.
#141
Lady called 911 because someone called her a whore.
Her words (*translated): "I'm calling 'cuz they're calling me a whore and no man has ever f*cked me!"
Dispatcher: "Ma'm... Do you have an emergency?"
Lady: "They're calling me a whore and calling me things!"
Dispatcher: "..."
Lady: "And they're being mean! I need someone to come!"
Dispatcher: "...Okay, we'll... sigh We'll send an officer..."
Lady: "Uh-huh! hangs up"
#142
One was a very drunken college girl who was sobbing because she was so drunk and so cold that she was shivering and she couldn't get her house key into her door.
#143
Guy swallowed a light bulb and a battery hoping to get a script for narcotics.
#144
I've had someone call 911 to know how long to smoke a brisket.
Ben Naylor 7 years ago
Way more info to be shared than this, but, roughly an hour per pound/500 g
#145
Once got 911 a call asking if our refrigerator was running.. Indeed it was.
#146
I had a lady call 911 because she put her credit card the wrong way in a parking meter and the lettering of her name had gotten the card stuck in the card reader. She wasn't too please when I advised her it wasn't an emergency and she needed to call the service number on the parking meter.
#147
I got a call once from a lady asking for a ride from the grocery store. She wasn't In danger or stranded.
Lily McCarthy 2 years ago
She could have called a relative or friend??? If she couldn't have contacted one at that time and it was cold enough that could be an emergency right????
#148
Got a call once of an empty wheelchair by a business. No one was around the wheelchair or calling for help, it was just sitting by a business so the caller wanted an officer to check it out.
Lacy Tinsley 7 years ago
ok that could be potentially be an emergency.. so many bad things could have happened to its owner.
#149
Paramedic here. Got the call for difficulty breathing. That's obviously a big deal, so we book it over there with the ambulance and fire engine as an all-hands on deck deal in case this goes south. Arrived to find an approximately 54 year old female patient absolutely SURROUNDED by cigarette butts, ash, and empty packs. When asked if she felt the difficulty breathing may have been from her recent and obvious chain smoking, she said no. She ended up feeling better and didn't want to go. What a surprise.
#150
Not a 911 operator but a friend is. A guy called in asking when someone was going to come pick up a bucket of possums. He had a bucket of baby possums and wanted someone from the sheriffs office to come get it. And yes, it was Florida.
Maggie Grover Bacher 7 years ago
animal control has their own number, people. if you can't google, can you use a telephone book?
#151
I've had someone call 911 report that their trunk wasn't opening and they wanted to know what to do about it.
#152
Toe pain at 3am on a Saturday night.
#153
Apparently there's this wild turkey near one of the backroads near the interstate for the past few weeks. We get about 3-4 calls a day about it.
Maggie Grover Bacher 7 years ago
we (school bus drivers) had some wild turkeys that would cross back and forth between two pig farms. every stinkin' day the things would wait for us and then cross in front of us. they crossed at a stop sign so we just watched their cocky little parade every day.
#155
I once had a 999 call from a guy working at a station, reporting a woman who was standing on a train platform and peeing onto the track.
#156
I can tell you the dumbest call I've ever been dispatched to, it was for a women who had had a splinter in her finger for three days. It was 10:30 at night and we got held over from our shift because of this call. We took her to the hospital and she asked us to drop her in the waiting room. I wanted to scream.
#158
A fire captain's (from a different city) son stubbed his toe on a cement bench and had us call him an ambulance so we could take him to the hospital.
#159
A woman has been calling for years to complain about white boxes in her yard that emit radio waves. At night, someone comes and moves them around in her yard.
Maggie Grover Bacher 7 years ago
and? what's the story? if it's been happening for years someone has been there at least once. she hasn't been deemed insane enough to warrant a care facility. what's the rest of the story?
#160
Dispatcher ####, do you have an emergency?
Yes, is ther a 24hr supermarket in the area?
#161
Another medical emergency, woman had taken 3 ibuprofen and wasn't sure what would happen.
#162
Had a run where an elderly gentleman's glucose was 85 and he just knew he was dying (normal is 80-120 mg/dl).
Jeanne Crosby 7 years ago
If he is diabetic and his sugar is still not controlled,, i.e. New patient. 85 could be dangerously low. If your sugar has been running around 500. You can lose consciousness at 120. It happened to me.
#163
One of my first calls. I dispatch for a variety of agencies including fish and wildlife. Get a call from a guy and the 911 map shows he is in the woods. He calls and says he was hiking and he wanted an escort out of the woods, where he chose to hike among nature, because he saw a bear. He was reminded that bears live in the woods and he was in their territory. Also the bear continued on the path and didn't even approach the caller.
#164
Had a woman get so angry about kids playing outside on their ATVs and bikes, on their family's property, in the middle of the day in the summer, that she had a stroke. She's ranting and raving and then all of a sudden, she's speaking slowly and her words are slurred and she's groaning... It was a weird thing to happen but she didn't need to be so damn angry over something like that. Sheesh.
Melanie Linehan 7 years ago
Maybe it was emotional incontinence, if she's had a previous stroke. Anger and uncontrolled outburst can happen after a stroke.
#165
Lady calls about an injured animal off to the side of the road in a neighborhood with some of the highest crime in the area. Cops are busy with people getting shot and stuff. She is yelling at me that I'm cold-hearted because I haven't dispatched police, lights and sirens, and that this creature is suffering, and I'm responsible for it, etc. I ask what type of animal it is. "I don't believe any animal species is more important than any other." "Ma'm, What. Is. It." "It's a possum."
#166
Some dude was getting chased by a bobcat in Victoria.
AnnieLaurie Burke 7 years ago
Bobcats don't have much endurance for a long chase, being stealth predators, so just run for a quarter mile or so and he will get winded.
#167
A paramedic was mowing his lawn, for reasons still unexplained stuck his hand under the mower, sliced off half a finger, called 911 and requested an airlift to the trauma center.
What do you think ?
Kat Jones 7 years ago
I called the Police at 2am to report two men lurking in my driveway. Turned out they were the Police and were staking out the house across the road. :)
Sophie G 7 years ago
did you crawl out to bring 'em coffee and doughnuts??
Load More Replies...
Marzo Florida 7 years ago
Some of these are kind of sweet or innocent like the guy helping the cat. This page reminds me of a little boy who called 911 to help him out with his math homework (in which the dispatcher walked him through it). His mom found out and apologized, but it was still really nice of her to end her time to him :p
Kat Jones 7 years ago
I called the Police at 2am to report two men lurking in my driveway. Turned out they were the Police and were staking out the house across the road. :)
Sophie G 7 years ago
did you crawl out to bring 'em coffee and doughnuts??
Load More Replies... Marzo Florida 7 years ago
Some of these are kind of sweet or innocent like the guy helping the cat. This page reminds me of a little boy who called 911 to help him out with his math homework (in which the dispatcher walked him through it). His mom found out and apologized, but it was still really nice of her to end her time to him :p
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