LOUISVILLE, Ky. --
Two men have been charged after abusing the 911 system.
MetroSafe officials said about 3 percent of daily 911 calls are hang-ups. In addition, they said they receive numerous prank calls and non-emergency calls to the 911call center.
Paul Elder, 53, faces charges of wanton endangerment for falsely reporting a fire at his apartment in the 400 block of Kensington Court in Old Louisville. Jay Duvall, 33, has been charged with disorderly conduct and loitering.
Director Doug Hamilton said MetroSafe gets 1.2 million calls a year, or 3,100 a day.
Louisville Metro Police, Fire and EMS work around the clock responding to emergency calls. But all too often, people call 911 for something other than an emergency.
"It is a significant problem for us," said Doug Hamilton, MetroSafe Director.
A significant problem with a serious penalty.
"I have smoke coming out of the apartment," Elder said to a 911 operator. "It woke me up. And I can't breathe too well. I think it's engulfing the mattress."
But when firefighters arrived at Elder's apartment, they did not find a fire. That, was May 2009. Last week, he dialed 911 again to report a fire at his apartment.
"I'm not sure if this is for real or not," Elder told the 911 operator.
"Are you inside that building?" she asked.
"No I'm not," Elder said. "I'm ... I've been told this. But I'm not sure it's true or not."
Turns out, it was not true.
"When they call 911, we treat it as an emergency," said Vince Luney, a MetroSafe supervisor.
Officials say 3,100 calls a day come into MetroSafe. Many are non-emergency calls, including about 100 hang-ups every day.
"Nationally, the 911 Association estimates that one-quarter to one-third of all 911 calls are unnecessary," Hamilton said. "They're not emergencies. I would say that we meet that number if not surpass it."
The problem is: it ties up resources. So, when there's a real emergency, it may take longer for help to arrive.
The day after Elder was arrested, police charged Duvall. Police said he dialed 911 from a payphone at a convenience store at Broadway and 1st Street and then hung-up. When officers arrived, he told them he called because "they wouldn't let me use the bathroom" and "sometimes I call because I feel like it."
For non-emergencies, you should call one of the administrative lines at 502-574-2111 or 502-574-7111. You can also reach MetroCall at 311 for information and help with other city services.
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