News / Clark County News

Top 10 types of calls to 911 in Clark County in 2014

Incomplete calls lead list, with suspicious circumstances ranked No. 2

By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Local News Editor

Published: November 30, 2015, 6:05am

4 Photos

Dispatcher Robin Bardon, right, shows rookie firefighter Spencer Vadney how 911 calls are handled Nov. 17 at the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency in Vancouver. In 2014, the most common calls were incomplete calls. (Natalie Behring/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

If you were in a fender-bender or had your lawn mower stolen last year, you probably called for help. Odds are, then, you made the list for the top types of calls to 911.

Dispatchers with the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency received more than 384,000 calls in 2014 in Clark County, averaging more than 1,000 per day, according to the agency’s annual report. Nearly 77 percent of the total calls were made to 911. The rest were to the agency’s non-emergency number, 311, or were business-related, said Katy Myers, CRESA’s operations division manager.

CRESA doesn’t handle calls for the Washington State Patrol, Oregon or Cowlitz County.

Here are the top 10 types of calls to 911 in 2014:

10. Sick person.

Last year, CRESA cataloged 5,710 general medical calls. However, only 3,481 calls were dispatched to first responders.

There are 33 categories dispatchers use for medical calls. However, “sick person” is the chief complaint and encompasses a wide variety of symptoms. Cramps, sore throat and gout fall into this category.

Clark County official: ‘When in doubt, call 911, not 311’

Dispatchers with the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency handle far more calls than they refer to first responders, such as police or fire agencies.

Katy Myers, the agency’s operations division manager, said differences in the number of calls and responses are caused by several situations — the reporting party may request the response be canceled, there may be duplicate reports, or the responding agency may refer the complaint to a different organization or partner agency.

Additionally, the response agencies may have alternate methods to take the complaint, she said, instead of sending a unit to respond, such as a telephone or online report. In some cases, the complaint is outside the jurisdiction or the responding agency may not handle that type of complaint.

The dispatchers decide how best to prioritize calls, Myers added. Some calls are easier to categorize than others, such as thefts, car crashes or traffic complaints, which typically require a responding agency.

Some callers who are mindful of tying up emergency lines opt to dial 311 if they perceive a situation not to be life-threatening, Myers said. However, people should always call 911 for a medical issue, even if it appears slight, a vehicle crash or a possible fire, because callers are often placed on hold when they call 311, she said.

“When in doubt, call 911, not 311,” Myers said.

— Jessica Prokop

9. Thefts.

This category includes thefts-in-progress, as well as cold thefts.

Dispatchers received 7,338 calls and referred 5,457 to a responding agency, such as the Vancouver Police Department or Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

8. Civil problems.

These types of calls do not involve any sort of confrontation between people, Myers said.

An example of a civil problem would be a person’s neighbor dumping trash onto their lawn.

People reported 7,634 civil problems to CRESA dispatchers last year. However, only 2,400 calls were referred to partner agencies.

7. Welfare checks.

People can call and request a welfare check for someone they haven’t heard from for an unusual amount of time or if someone appears to be in distress on the side of the road.

Dispatchers handled 7,802 calls and referred 6,490 to a responding agency.

6. Alarms.

This category includes residential and commercial burglary and robbery alarms. It does not include fire alarms.

CRESA received a total of 8,244 calls and referred 6,849 to partner agencies last year.

Myers said CRESA does not monitor alarms; the alarm companies do and will call dispatch.

5. Disturbances.

These calls include minor disturbances, such as shouting, as well as physical altercations, including anything that involves a weapon, Myers said.

Dispatchers handled 8,676 calls and referred 7,979 to a responding agency.

4. Traffic accidents.

Not surprisingly, vehicle crashes made the top five calls reported to 911.

Myers said people should always call the emergency number if they witness a crash, even if it appears to be a non-injury crash or if injuries are unknown.

CRESA received 9,119 calls of this nature but only referred 5,948 to first responders.

3. Traffic complaints.

This category differs from traffic accidents because it involves reports of drunk or reckless drivers, as well as road hazards, such as fallen trees.

Dispatchers handled 19,007 calls, but only 7,464 were dispatched to responding agencies.

Myers said people should always call 911 for these complaints, rather than 311, because there is an immediate danger.

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2. Suspicious circumstances.

These calls are usually categorized as anything that can’t be identified as a specific crime, Myers said, or if something appears to be out of place. This can include a car parked in an odd spot or a person behaving strangely.

Dispatchers received 20,763 calls of this nature and referred 15,060 to responding agencies.

1. Incomplete calls.

Anytime a caller hangs up before dispatch answers, call takers have to figure out if they’re able to call back the number. If they can, they return a call to make sure everything is OK. This generates a lot of extra work for dispatchers, Myers said.

CRESA received 63,129 calls but referred only 2,179 to a responding agency.

Often times, incomplete calls turn out to be pocket dials, Myers said.

One problem in particular, she said, is when parents give their old, out-of-service phones to their children as toys. The phone can still call 911.

Myers encourages people to remain on the line, even if they accidentally called 911, to connect with a dispatcher. And don’t give old phones to children, she said.