ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Mother Nature was more than some systems could handle after recent severe weather hit the St. Louis region. But not every call is necessarily a 911 emergency.
Inside the St. Louis County Communications Center, they are preparing for another round of potential bad weather and a slew of phone calls.
“First, only call 911 when you have an emergency,” said Audra Parker, a St. Louis County Dispatcher. “That’s number one. Try to be aware of your surroundings, so you can give us your location immediately. Pay attention to landmarks and businesses, and just know where you are, so we can get help to you as soon as possible.”
Parker has been a 911 dispatcher for St. Louis County for the last six years. She said she heard the frustration after numerous incoming calls to 911 recently.
“Don’t hang up,” Parker said. “Just stay on the line as long as you possibly can. Cause when you hang up, and then you call back, it puts you in the bottom of everything and behind the other callers. So just bear with us and stay on the phone. Do not hang up.”
Car accidents, house fires, and shootings are emergencies worthy of calling 911 because it requires the fire department and medical attention.
However, if you call to know the weather or road conditions, don’t call 911 for that. MoDOT has a travelers map on their website to know about the road conditions in your area.
“If you lose your phone or cable or electricity, don’t dial 911 because there’s really nothing we can do about that,” Parker said. “You have service providers for your internet and phone, and try and keep those numbers handy, so you can call them.”
St. Louis County Communications Center recommended contacting their non-emergency line for not life-threatening situations, like a tree down on your property.
“We have the non-emergency line 636-529-8210 for non-emergency,” Parker said.