Emergency call takers from the U.S.-Mexico border met Tuesday during the 911 International Border Coalition to discuss issues with misrouted emergency calls.
Connie Chavarria, south regional coordinator for the Texas chapter of National Emergency Number Association, said the purpose of the meeting was to establish a standard operating procedure for misrouted calls between City of Laredo 911 Emergency Center and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico’s 066, also known as C-4.
When a person calls the emergency number 911 or 066 for fire, medical or police services, the call may be misrouted to a surrounding public safety answering point.
For example, if a person is in distress in Mexico and dials the emergency number, that emergency call could be taken by a 911 operator on U.S. soil.
It happened in 2009 to Nelba Hinojosa, a dispatch supervisor, administrative assistant and terminal agency coordinator from the Rio Grande City Police Department.
She once received a call from a person claiming to be a Mexican soldier. The soldier had placed an emergency call but since he was closer to the border, the U.S. towers picked up that call.
Hinojosa answered. The solider stated he and other troops had been involved in a firefight with cartel gunmen. He further stated his fellow troops forgot about him and left him behind wounded. Hinojosa assisted the soldier and managed to contact his supervisor to send help.
Chavarria said the coalition plans to establish something similar to what Hinojosa did — follow through the situation making sure the soldier got the help he needed.
Officials label that a warm transfer. With a warm transfer, “Every emergency call should be processed as if your agency were to respond it. When transferring the call to the corresponding entity, we must assure that contact is made.
“The call taker will be required to stay on the line until the corresponding agency received the call and all pertinent information is obtained,” officials said.
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