system abusers

[afdacmartin]

Any input on how to deal with those who repeatedly call 911 and generate dozens of useless calls? Any advice on legal issues,effective tactics, etc. would be appreciated.

[dgrant]

Our city passed an ordinance (law) recently that allows us to criminally charge people that continually abuse 911. This was in response to certain citizens in our city repeatedly calling for ambulance transport for non-emergency medical problems.

The ordinance is new, and has only been used a couple of times so far, but at least its available for those that chronically abuse emergency services.

[NCRSQ751]

We have had many of these in the past. Once we see a pattern we create a special file for the reports. In many cases these folks are elderly. We contact Adult Protective Services and let them know what is going on and document document document! It can take several months to get it to a point where something is done, but generally these folks end up with the help they need. Contacting the appropriate authorities and excellent documentation is key.

------------------
Susan Bednar
Forsyth Rescue Squad (Captain)
NCTF-1
Griffith Volunteer FD