Dispatchers urge residents to call 311 for fireworks complaints
Dispatchers urge residents to call 311 for fireworks complaints
911 dispatchers in Minneapolis are getting ready for a busy night as people celebrate the Fourth of July. The City of Minneapolis is asking people to call 311 instead of 911 for fireworks noise complaints.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - 911 dispatchers in Minneapolis are getting ready for a busy night as people celebrate the Fourth of July. The City of Minneapolis is asking people to call 311 instead of 911 for fireworks noise complaints.
FOX 9 takes a look at how busy things get for dispatches, and why non-emergency calls slow them down.
Dispatchers urge calls to 311 for noise complaints
What they're saying:
"It does get back-to-back. There's not a lot of time to breathe in between. You're triaging. You're trying to make sure that these people are getting the help that they need," said Emilee Herman, a 911 dispatcher in Minneapolis.
It’s a thankless job, the constant 911 calls on the Fourth of July is something dispatcher Emille Herman knows all too well. The 10-year dispatch veteran tells FOX 9 they prioritize calls about people over property.
"So we are focusing on our higher priority emergencies, injuries, weapons, things like that," said Herman.
If there is a fire on July 4, you call 911. But if it's just people setting off fireworks, the response time may not be a priority.
"Not everything is a police response," said Herman.
"If this is just simply a noise complaint, unfortunately, that's a lower priority thing," Herman added.
How calling 911 for noise complaints can slow dispatchers
What we know:
"If you know how to properly make that complaint, it helps us out a lot to get to the actual life-threatening emergencies that come into 911," said Herman.
That’s why officials encourage you to call 311 for things like noise complaints.
Minneapolis dispatch says they get 300 to 500 more 911 calls on the night of July 4 from 10:30 pm to 2 a.m. It can be a lot to filter through.
Herman has learned over the years when to send a police response or send someone to 311. The key is asking the caller questions.
"Are these fireworks being pointed at other people? Are the parties involved in using these fireworks underage and unsupervised," said Herman.