The Cortez Fire Protection District urges residents to call 911 for emergency service, saying that increased calls to the first responders wastes time and money.
“Just yesterday, we each got two calls,” said Cortez Fire Chief Roy Wilkinson, looking to Battalion Chief Rick Spencer, who nodded in agreement.
“Every week, there’s more and more,” said Spencer.
They remembered how during a fire last year, at least 25 people called them.
Wilkinson wasn’t sure whether to blame old fridge magnets or Siri and cellphones that direct folks to call the fire district – whatever it is, an “influx” of community members are calling them for things like fires and car wrecks.
“Calling in here is dangerous because it takes time, and we aren’t always here anyway,” said Spencer. “It takes way longer to dial a 10-digit number than the three in 911.”
Plus, people only man the phones at Cortez Fire Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A story recently published in a town called Somers, Connecticut – a town more than 2,150 miles from Cortez – expresses the same concerns.
“When someone calls the station instead of 911, the call may go unanswered or cause significant delays in response. In emergency situations, every second counts,” Somers Fire Chief David Lenart said in the story.
“It’s everywhere!” Wilkinson exclaimed.
Spencer added that how, depending on fire load, fires can double in size every minute.
“We want to get to them as quick as possible,” he said. “Really, our goal is to get the appropriate resources to an emergency in the quickest time possible.”
So next time there’s an emergency, dial three digits – 911 – instead of 10.
