Tucson 9-1-1: Do the Right Thing!

When I was an Emergency 9-1-1 Operator, I would infrequently answer calls from very young toddlers, three or even a bit younger. Usually, they would be playing on the phone, but we were trained to be sure that there was no emergency. Sometimes, they did have an emergency. On one occasion, I asked the child to let me talk to their mother, and the child said happily that their mother was there. I asked again if I could talk to her, but the child said she was asleep. Turned out that the mother was unconscious on the bathroom floor. Answering the phone promptly is the most important thing that we did, and now the Tucson Public Safety Communications Department cannot do it.

Answering the calls gave me a human perspective on what we did. I was excited and proud, and I wanted to understand it. However, other people did not have that perspective. Observers did not think we did much at all. They did not see that we were tremendously successful while other 9-1-1 centers were failing. "9-1-1 is a joke in your town." (Public Enemy, 1990).

Unfortunately, some of those observers became the managers. Their ruthless and obstinate ignorance attacked the 9-1-1 service for Tucson, but I opposed them through every possible means available to me. I tried to educate the managers, and I tried to educate the elected officials. I exposed managers' lies and bullying. I faced their retaliation, but I could not be silent.

People were dying, silently and invisibly. That's what happens when 9-1-1 does not answer the call and send help promptly. People die quietly. Who will speak out for them?