The Call: Emercency Calls 911

I really like thrillers, and this one is about an occupation I respect a lot. Professionals who work with other people's emergencies, no matter how they do it, are always worth-admiring individuals. This movie is a piercing thriller and I really enjoyed it.


I. Work in pairs:

1. Do you have an emergency phone number in your country/city you can call in case of an emergency? Have you ever had to use it? How effective do you think this service is?

2. In Brazil, this number is 190. In the USA, it is 911. What kind of requirements must a person who answers this call - a call-taker - have? Explain it.

3. How stressful do you think this job is? Would you be qualified for a call-taker position?

4. What can go wrong if the procedures are not followed properly by the call-taker?

5. Read the procedures a 911 call-taker must have in mind while taking a call and fill in the blanks with the following question words:

WHAT / WHERE / WHO / WHEN / WHY

Information collected from the important site:  http://www.franklinmo.org/EMA/911%20The%20Facts.htm

_______________ The call-taker is required to ask many questions in order to give responders an accurate picture of your situation. It is important to understand that responders may already be on the way while you are talking to the call-taker; we are updating the information as they go. It is also important not to exaggerate the emergency. Listen carefully to the call-taker’s questions; try to speak clearly in a calm voice. The call-taker needs to ask the basic 4 W's for every call-where, what, who, and when....

________________ This includes more than just the address. An apartment number, floor, suite number, or even the color of your house. Especially important is the nearest intersection, or cross-street, to the address. This makes it easier and quicker for responders to find you.

_________________ This is the basic "bottom-line" of the call-what is the exact problem? We don't require long descriptions of the events leading up to what is happening, just what the immediate problem is. Are you in physical danger? Right now? Are there weapons involved? Is there a fire? Or do you just need information or a referral? Also, try to remain as calm as possible; it only makes the process longer if the call-taker is spending time trying to understand an excited or hysterical caller.

_________________  This is to identify suspects in crimes, especially if they just left (so responding officers don't drive right past the bad guys!). This means clothing descriptions, names (if known) and last known location

or direction of travel.

_______________ It makes a difference if the incident is occurring right now or happened an hour ago, so a time frame is important.

Answer key:

WHY /  WHERE / WHAT / WHO / WHEN

II. Read the situations below and check the ones that are not considered emergencies that should be dealt with by call-takers. (This is true in the USA - 911 Calls)

(   ) Property crimes that are no longer in progress and the offender is not on the scene. These include crimes such as vandalism, thefts, graffiti, and stolen autos

(   ) Animal control problems 

(    ) A burglar inside the house

(    ) Illegally parked vehicles or vehicles blocking alleys or driveways, but that are not blocking traffic flow

(    ) A car accident with victims

(    ) Minor vehicle crashes where there are no injuries and traffic is not blocked 

(    ) Reporting crank calls.

(    ) Trash pickup problems

(    ) Stolen checks and credit cards 

(    ) An injured person on the street

(    ) Minors violating curfew

(    ) Loud parties

(    ) Road hazards that don't require immediate attention

(    ) Underage drinking

            (    ) Runaway juvenile or missing adult who does not   need special care

            (    )  Seeing someone robbing a car on the street.

             (    ) Seeing a violent fight in front of your house.

             (    ) Hearing gunshots near your house.

             (    ) Hearing children screaming loudly inside one of your neighbor's house.

Facts taken from the site:

http://www.911dispatch.com/info/fact_figures.html


Answer key:

Situations that are not considered emergencies.

¬Property crimes that are no longer in progress and the offender is not on the scene. These include crimes such as vandalism, thefts, graffiti, and stolen autos 
¬Animal control problems  
¬Illegally parked vehicles or vehicles blocking alleys or driveways, but that are not blocking traffic flow 
¬Minor vehicle crashes where there are no injuries and traffic is not blocked 
- Reporting crank calls
¬Phone numbers, addresses, hours of operation, etc 
¬Trash pickup problems 
¬Stolen checks and credit cards -- also call the financial institutions involved to have them stop payments of checks and verifications of charges 
¬Minors violating curfew 
¬Loud parties -- the person calling must be willing to sign a complaint 
¬Road hazards that don't require immediate attention 
¬Underage drinking
¬Runaway juvenile or missing adult who does not   need special care


III. Watch the movie segment and discuss the following questions:

 

 1. Describe call-takers workplaces.

2. How would describe call-takers emotional state while dealing with emergencies?

3. What kind of traing do future call-takers receive?

4. Why is their workplace called "the hive"?

5. What are some of their fears? What do they dislike about their jobs?

6. What is the last scene situation? What should the call-taker do to help the teenage girl?

7. How would you feel if you were the call-taker in that situation?


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE CALL