News / 

Fix 9-1-1 Delays


Save Story
Leer en espaƱol

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Officials at the Valley Emergency Communications Center (VECC) say they will work to fix a chronic problem associated with putting emergency callers on hold. They need to!

A recent Eyewitness News investigation uncovered case after case of 9-1-1 nightmares - desperate callers placed on hold and not getting the immediate emergency assistance they were seeking!

David Hale's experience exemplifies the problem. When he thought his buddy was dying, he called 9-1-1 and was placed on hold five times. Frustrated and desperate, he found a phone book and dialed a police department directly. Fortunately, his friend got help and survived.

VECC's problem, it seems, boils down to a staffing shortage. Even a million dollar investment in a new system that places callers in a "queue" and answers them on a first-come basis seems to be exacerbating the problem. Instead of waiting on-hold, many callers hang up and try again, and each time they do, they go to the back of the "queue."

Needless to say, such confusion at a 9-1-1 center is totally unacceptable.

KSL is encouraged that VECC officials acknowledge their problem, say they are already taking steps to modify their "queue" system, and plan to add more call-takers.

As we said, they need to. Desperate 9-1-1 callers shouldn't have to wait unduly for help.

Most recent News stories

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Newsletter Signup

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button