"To be sure, Mitchell's ordeal unfolded as the storm dumped nearly two feet of snow on Pittsburgh; the 911 system was swamped with more than twice as many calls as usual and overall emergency response was hampered."

Why did the number of calls to 911 double? Were there really double the number of emergencies as there normally are? Does the crime rate skyrocket during a snowstorm? Or were most of these calls what Martin refers to as 'fart attacks'. The people who abuse and overload the system bear some responsibility. Not only do the non-emergency calls clog the system and slow response time, but they add to paramedics' reluctance to bust a gut to respond to what past experience has taught them is probably a non-emergency.