Emergency Call

City of new orleans 911.

911. What's the address of you emergency?

Austin 911. Do you need police, fire, or ems?

I've always wondered

what actually happens when we call 911?

Who are the mysterious voices on the other end of that line?

Tell me exactly what happened.

Stay on the line. I'm gonna tell you what to do next.

You're doing a great job, okay?

Who are the faceless strangers that we reach out to

in our darkest moments?

They navigate the unknown,

keep calm in the chaos.

I don't know! Just send the cops!

- I just heard some gunshots. - They're trying to hit me.

Oh, my god. Please hurry.

Please help!

They're driven by a desire to help.

Ma'am, listen to me.

Stay where you are. I have officers going after him.

You can do this. We're gonna do this together.

You don't need to be scared. We have them coming to you.

Take a deep breath. Take a deep breath.

We have help heading that direction.

Thank you.

This is what I found.

240 million...

That's how many calls americans make every year to 911.

Nearly a quarter billion calls

ranging from the absurd to the tragic

to random butt dials.

Let's not beat around the bush.

This has been a crazy year.

But day in, day out, pandemic or no pandemic,

911 operators, they answer the phone knowing anything...

Literally anything... Could be about to unfold.

Austin 911. Do you need police, fire, or ems?

Police department.

My neighbor's smoking crack, man.

- I'm in the restroom now. - I just smell the

makes me want to come out there and take a

I think certain people are meant to be 911 operators.

Certain people are not meant to be a 911 operators.

You're doing a great job.

Officers are just down the street now.

Okay, and what kind of vehicles are involved?

I'm gonna stay on the phone with you

until the officers get there.

In a single shift,

I could take up to 100 calls per night.

There's a guy walking around

with a samurai sword on his back. Say that one more time.

This is the drunkest driver I've ever seen. Okay.

Someone trying to get into my house

through the back door.

Yeah, I have a cat stuck up in a tree.

You take so many different types of calls, it's insane.

My wife is gonna kill me.

I locked my baby in the car.

Whenever I have calls with kids,

that pulls on my heartstrings.

You know, you're human, so you've got those feelings.

Some of us have weaknesses,

and kids are definitely my weakness.

This is austin 911. Do you need police, fire, or ems?

I need 911! Someone took my car with my baby in there!

Ma'am, what kind of help do you need? Are you okay?

Do you need an ambulance?

Can...

Okay. How many children do you have in there?

Okay. Which way did they go so we can go after them?

I don't know what street.

That's okay. We still have help for you.

It doesn't matter which way they went.

Okay, we're sending help to you.

Auto theft. The child was asleep in the back seat.

What kind of vehicle did he leave in?

And what kind of vehicle?

A range rover.

I think it's a 2015 range rover.

What color? It's white.

We have help on the way to you, okay?

You're doing a great job.

Please get my baby back.

Take a deep breath.

Everyone is coming for you.

Everyone, I have a location.

I need missing persons detective to 21.

Clear a path. Fell asleep in the vehicle.

Confirm all units.

Resume normal traffic.

How does deb prepare herself for a call like that?

And even more so, how does she move on from a call like that?

There's no time to process emotions,

no matter how much a call may trigger something inside of you.

Here we go.

Alright. Let me show you how this works.

So you call 911.

Now, your phone's location,

it determines the call center that you're routed to.

Austin 911. Do you need, police, fire, or ems?

As you explain the emergency,

everything you tell the call taker is logged in a report.

Now, based on the situation,

the appropriate response is dispatched.

Whether that's the police department...

...The fire department...

...Or an ambulance.

Maybe all three.

The responding units, they have access

to that very same information gathered by the call taker.

So when they show up on your doorstep,

they know exactly what they're walking into.

911. What's the address of the emergency?

Old ridge camp.

Okay, what's going on?

Um, there's a grizzly bear that's been stalking us.

There's a grizzly bear? Yeah.

Did the bear actually attack you or come towards you?

It charged twice.

And then it came back, charged.

Sprayed it again.

The bear's coming back to you?

We don't know yet.

How old are you?

19 years old.

How big was it?

12 feet tall.

12 feet?

He's the biggest thing I've ever seen.

For a brown bear, you want to play dead,

and a black bear, you want to fight back.

Did I lose you?

What was that? What did I just hear?

I just stepped on the dog.

Oh, okay. You stepped on your dog.

Okay. Good.

Are you able to get back to your vehicle?

No, ma'am.

The... the bear is between us and there.

I'm working on getting a ranger up there to find you, okay?

Oh, thank you so much.

I'm really scared the bear is gonna come back.

Being scared is completely natural.

Don't you worry about it. I'm right here with you, okay?

Okay. I don't blame them.

I wouldn't want to be chased by a bear, either.

Running uphill, no less.

Are you still walking that trail?

Alright.

We do have a trooper on his way to you, okay?

They're looking for you guys.

Get there as fast as possible.

Have you passed the first or second bench?

Okay, you're past the second?

You're at the top?

Looks like I have two troopers headed that way.

I'm gonna stay on the line with you, okay?

In contact with hikers. Everyone 10-60.

Whoo-hoo. - They made it.

They made it. No bear attacks today.

- Today. - Yeah. Happy endings.

They're both okay. And they learned a life lesson.

Did they, though? They'll be going and getting a firearm, I'm hoping.

Life lessons learned, right?

Yeah.

If it's brown, lay down,

and if it's black, fight back.

That's a rhyme I learned while camping as a kid.

Suddenly, they're the most important words I've ever heard.

At least it wasn't a polar bear,

because I believe the rhyme ends with

"if it's white, good night."

City of new orleans 911.

What's the address of your emergency?

City of new orleans 911.

What's the address of your emergency?

- City of new orleans. - City of new orleans 911.

City of new orleans 911.

What is the location of your emergency?

There's no place like new orleans.

There's no other people like new orleans people,

because down here, we can open our door to anybody.

I have people that I've worked with,

and we just became family.

I like to be a good wingwoman.

How about I tag along with you for a change?

I just want to... I just want to be here for support,

whatever you need.

I think that's what makes us who we are.

That's what makes us different.

When you're call taking, you have to have compassion.

You have to have patience.

It's not always easy.

Oh, hang on.

Wait, hold on, ma'am. You're cutting in and out.

I'm trying to get the information. Give me one moment.

Because if you have somebody calling in

and they screaming at you,

you have to be able to calm them down