Use 911, not Twitter, for emergency calls

During Hurricane Harvey, Texas residents needing help found the 911 system was overwhelmed and reported waiting hours to talk with a dispatcher or were disconnected.

Some people turned to social media to plead for help. But that may not bring police or firefighters right away, either, local experts say.

“People need to utilize the 911 system, because we are not going to be monitoring social media at all times,” said Timothy Heiser, deputy chief of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. “We can’t have people rely on social media to call for help.”

Bear in mind, too, that firefighters and police will not be responding to calls during the storm.

“After winds reach 55 mph, firetrucks will blow over and we have to take shelter,” Heiser said. “We’ll be out as long as we can until it’s too dangerous to respond.”

He said during the storm, calls to 911 dispatchers will stack up.

“Once we get the all clear and can go out again, we’ll respond to those stacked calls,” he said. “If everybody loads up on social media, there is a danger of duplicate calls that could divert responders from emergencies.”

Mike Jachles, spokesman for Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, asks folks who want to call 911 to consider whether their issue involves a potential loss of life and injuries.

“911 is for life and death emergencies and should be used for that only,” Jachles said. “You’re having a heart attack. You’re in your house, your shutters are up and there is a fire and you can’t get out. Those are life and death emergencies. If you have a sprained ankle, that’s not a life-threatening emergency.”

Jachles further explained the difference in types of calls.

“A non-emergency is you may see a tree down or on top of your car,” Jachles said. “We know it’s important. But unless there is an inherent danger to someone’s life, it is not life-threatening.”

Callers may contact the county’s non-emergency dispatch number, 954-764-4357, he said. Coral Springs and Plantation don’t use the Broward County 911 system. Residents of Coral Springs may call 954-344-1800 for non-emergencies; Plantation’s number is 954-797-2100.

In Palm Beach County, the non-emergency number is 561-688-3000.

If downed power lines cause a fire or someone gets shocked, call 911, and report the outage to Florida Power & Light, too, at 800-468-8243.

Twitter and Facebook are useful for following the storm’s progress and any damage it leaves behind. Nearly every South Florida police and fire department uses it, as do municipalities and officials.

Some, like Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue @FortLaudFire on Twitter and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue @BSO_Mike post breaking news and photos.

“911 is for life and death emergencies and should be used for that only.”

Mike Jachles, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman