Well, certainly, the kid was in a bad situation. However, I dont think the responsibility lies with him, at all. Like it or not, most people are NOT responsible for themselves. Hence, we have systems like 911. This instance illustrates a total lack of empathy one the operators' part. I think there should be repercussions for everyone on that shift. Supervisors on down. It is simply unacceptable.
And, I apologize,but having a bad day simply doesnt wash with me. So, you didnt get your coffee the way you wanted, or got stuck in traffic, and, because of that, you are, essentially, a jerk, to someone in need of help? And the end result is he dies, becuase you're having a bad day? Good luck with that one in court.
Lack of empathy on the the operators' part, lack of understanding on the operators' part, and the lack of supervision are to blame for this situation. The lost kid, well, 911 is there for emergencies. This was an emergency. If you arent willing to treat EVERY SINGLE CALL that way, then you have no right being there. Sure, they get prank calls, or useless calls. But, remember this; they arent on the scene, nor are they going through the emotions that the caller may be. They are answering phones, and sending the authorities. This dispatch center, at least to me, made a judgement call they had no right to make; that is, to treat the call as a prank. And, for that, someone died. If these people are still employed, that is truly shameful. If I were a family member, I would be suing the department in question for wrongful death. There was no need for this to happen. Period.
And, true, they likely have a form to fill out on their screen. I have seen some of the software that 911 uses, so I have a passing familiarity with it. However, if something comes up that an operator cannot deal with, it should be escalated to a supervisor. When the kid said he was lost in the woods, and the operator kept asking for an address....the sup should've stepped in right there. Then, we likely wouldnt be having this discussion. But, the operator was argumentative (again, speculation based on the article), and the only thing that happened was a kid died. Failure of the system; NOT failure on the kids part to "be prepared". After all, I am sure alot, if not most (even all?) of us here have gotten ourselves into dire straights, but have come out OK, to some degree. Blaming the child for failing to be prepared isnt the issue here. The issue is the failure of the 911 center.
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