Published Friday, May 25, 2001
MERCER COUNTY
911 successes, complaints reviewedBy Hal Johnson
Herald Writer
Mercer County 911 has had its success stories and its horror stories. County commissioners Thursday got a taste of both.
On the up side, commissioners honored Dylan Zahniser, 3 1/2, with a hero's proclamation for using 911 to call for help May 5 when he realized his stepfather, 28-year-old Robert Banks, was in trouble.
Following his mother Melissa Zahniser's instructions, Dylan dialed 911 when Banks had a diabetic seizure at his 497 S. Otter St. home in Mercer.
They also heard from Daniel Little, Hempfield Township, who complained about the questions he was asked when he called 911 on his cellular phone.
Little cited three problem calls:
James R. Thompson, county public safety director, said a dispatcher should have transferred Little's Route 19 accident call to state police. But, he added, Mercer County did not handle Little's call, which went to another county's 911 center.
Thompson said he will review Little's complaints in detail.
When a conventional phone is used, a database allows 911 to pinpoint the address of the home or business. Even if a 911 dispatcher does not know what the problem is, help can be sent.
The address locator database cannot work with cellular phones, which could be anywhere in the region, Thompson said. Call-takers must question callers to be sure of their location, he said.
"With cellular phone calls, the call-taker is responsible for getting help to the right location. If they don't do that part of the their job correctly, the results can be tragic," Thompson said.
Call-takers are trained to relay the location and other information to the dispatcher in 45 seconds, Thompson said.
More is going on behind the scenes while a 911 call is being taken, said Commissioner Brian W. Shipley "When a dispatcher is talking to you, he's telling others to dispatch fire trucks or ambulances at the same time," he said.