Some people apparently need a SPOT locater duct-taped to their hiney if they go anywhere wilder than a shopping mall.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/couple-lost-in-apple-orchard-calls-911/

(shakes head)

I do not understand how people can be so unbelievably small minded.

IMO the 911 dispatcher should tell callers like this "I am hanging up now and you are NOT to call back unless it is an emergency. If you call back for the same issue we will be sending an officer out & he won't be there to assist you."

Have a heart - from the article it sounds like the farm operators had a good sense of humor about the 911 call. City folks getting lost in your orchard - it sounds like something to tell your grand kids about. 911 operators are paid to rally response to calls with appropriate speed, and not to editorialize and decide which to respond to. Its up to the first responders to deal with things at the scene. As long as they weren't diverted from a life threatening call, I would think this response would be high on their discussion list with the spouse that evening; a nice relief from MVAs and domestic disturbances.

Some people are easily discombobulated in strange surroundings, especially with the onset of darkness. I blame the zombies, or the fear of zombies actually. Every horror movie ever made has told us you never want to be left out at dark in a remote place - like an orchard, or corn maze - after dark. Don't believe me? Someone should commission a poll and ask people, do they believe in the existence of zombies, the walking dead? Like the poll that established that 70%+ of Americans believe in angels, given all the media focus on zombies, I think many actually do believe in zombies. And if not zombies, then vampires - Kirsten Stewart makes the whole vampire thing way sexier and more stylish than zombies. Every 15 year old female dreams of having her neck drooled on by Robert Pattinson.

The corn field maze call was bettter than a lot of calls 911 gets in many jurisdictions. I read a piece a few years ago about this; it seems it is fairly common to call 911 to get the time of day, among other frivolities. I would not 911 dispatchers making judgment call.....

I do have a heart and I wasn't worried about the disposition of the orchard owners. I agree, you don't want the dispatchers making those decisions. (When I typed that I knew I would think differently in ten seconds, but I decided to post it anyway because I'm just getting tired of the general narrow-mindedness of some people.)

It just baffles me that people think so little of others; or so little in general. I hope that stories like this will make people think twice about dialing 911 for anything but emergencies. It shouldn't take an object lesson to make people realize that someone that actually NEEDS emergency services may be in queue behind them. In the suburban and rural areas I frequent these trivial calls could be occupying the sole dispatcher or deputy. If my wife or daughter were the caller in queue I'd be mad as a mashed cat.

People calling 911 to get the time ought to get some time all right -- in the county lockup for the night.

HJ