By John Donegan
The Bakersfield Californian
KERN COUNTY, Calif. 鈥� Facilities of the 911 emergency system are being drowned in a flood of trivial calls, officials said at a news conference Monday.
Held at Kern County Public Health鈥檚 Mt. Vernon Avenue headquarters in Bakersfield, leaders from the 911 system continuum 鈥� from firefighters to dispatchers to medical workers 鈥� urged the public not to dial 911 unless there is a genuine emergency.
The call to 鈥渘ot call鈥� came as authorities are seeing a steady rise in 911 reports 鈥� about a third more since 2019 and a slight bump from the year prior. As of Monday, EMS Program Manager Jeff Fariss with Kern Public Health said the county expects to exceed 13,000 911 calls for the month of June.
鈥淭hat exceeds any month during the pandemic,鈥� Fariss said.
More than 40% of those incoming calls, however, prove to be bogus and don鈥檛 merit a response. These are calls about a cough, a headache or other non-emergency best solved at home or at your local doctor鈥檚 office, officials said.
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This comes at the detriment of callers trying to report serious crimes or victims of heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening conditions who are forced to wait before their query can get through.
It鈥檚 a frustration felt among the rank-and-file dispatchers who answer half a million calls each year 鈥� which averages to nearly one every minute every day. The frustration, officials said, lies in not knowing which will prove to save a life or hinder another.
Kern County Fire Department spokesman Andrew Freeborn and others believe the issue, at its core, is a cultural one, spurred by isolationism that worsened during the pandemic. COVID-19 also revealed a misunderstanding with what role first responders play in people鈥檚 everyday lives.
鈥淲e see a lot of people that are by themselves that don鈥檛 have that caretaker there,鈥� Freeborn said. 鈥淎nd instead of calling that caretaker to say they don鈥檛 feel well, instead of bothering a friend or family member, they鈥檒l just burden the 911 system for something that鈥檚 not a true emergency. Now, we just see a lot of people throwing up their hands and saying, 鈥業 don鈥檛 feel well, I guess I鈥檒l just call 911.鈥欌��
Asked for an example, Freeborn recalled a 911 call they received from a woman who, upon running vitals, simply wanted a free ride to Santa Clarita.
鈥淎nd I said, 鈥榖ut we鈥檙e in Bakersfield,鈥欌�� Freeborn recalled. 鈥淎nd they said, 鈥榶eah, but I鈥檓 coming from Northern California, I鈥檓 trying to get down to San Diego鈥� The system isn鈥檛 Uber.鈥�
For non-emergencies, Kern Public Health Director Brynn Carrigan urged people to see their primary care doctor.
It鈥檚 also vital, she added, to prioritize preventive care such as annual exams and check-ups that, in tandem with a healthy diet and exercise, can reduce the reliance on first responders.
And the irony is that an ambulance ride rarely guarantees priority in hospital care. Unless someone is dying, many 鈥� more than a third in Kern County 鈥� who arrive by ambulance often have to wait with everyone else.
鈥淲e all know injuries and medical issues can be overwhelming and frightening,鈥� Fariss said. 鈥淏ut we also want to ensure that we are responsibly using our 911 services.鈥�
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