“The police department is right across the street next to Medic One, the ambulance service, you’ll be fine,” Betty grinned. “Besides once Bill over at the ambulance service gets a look at you, you will probably have visitors all night long. Just don’t let him keep you from doing your job. He’s a big flirt but he is harmless. Just remember, he’s married no matter what he tells you.”
Michelle giggled, “I think I know guys like him.”
“He always stops by to see if he can go to Chick-Fil-A to bring you lunch,” Betty grinned, “I just think he gets bored sitting over there so he comes over here to shoot the breeze. Play your cards right and you can eat free every night.”
“I couldn’t do that,” Michelle replied.
“After a while you can,” Betty laughed. “You’ll consider it your payment for putting up with him.”
Michell smiled.
“Now Dave is someone you’ll want to be nice to,” Betty sighed. “If only I were thirty years younger.”
“Who is Dave?” Michell asked.
“He is in charge of the night shift over at the police department,” Betty smiled. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes,” Michelle replied.
“Is it serious?” Betty smiled. “Not that it is any of my business, but I’m just giving you a heads up. He will be over a few times each night when he makes his rounds to check the building. All I’m saying is he would be quite the catch.”
“Thanks for telling me,” Michelle replied hesitantly.
“But enough with the introductions,” Betty smiled. “We better get down to showing you what you need to know in order for you to do your job.”
“OK,” Michelle replied as she laughed to herself and thought, “Finally, she sounds like my mother giving me hints that it’s about time I get married and move out and start giving her grandchildren.”
“It’s fairly simple,” Betty continued, “we have a good computer system that will give you most all the information you will need. Come over here and sit down in front of the computer.”
Michelle followed Betty over to the desk and sat down in a well broken in chair in front of the computer.
“Now the first thing you do is answer the phone when someone calls 911,” Betty said. “I don’t think I need to explain that part further except you are to say 911 Dispatch, what is your emergency?”
“I can do that,” Michelle replied.
“I’m sure you can,” Betty said. “If there is anything us girls are good at, it is using the phone. But now this is where the computer come in. When we get a call, on the computer screen you will see the name and address of the caller.”
“Just like caller ID,” Michelle said.
“Yes, but much more,” Betty continued. “Besides the name and address of the caller, it will also show you if the caller has ever called 911 before and when. We seem to have a number of regular callers, mostly older people that are alone and afraid and call us for every little noise they hear or every time they have a new ache or pain.”
“What do we do when we get one of those calls?” Michelle asked.
“It’s like the little boy that called wolf,” Betty smiled. “But we just can’t assume it is a nuisance call because it could end up being a real emergency. You just enter in the box here on the screen the details of the call. Talk to them and find out as much as you can to determine what they are calling about. Then you call either Bill at Medic One or Dave at the police station. They will then either call them for more information or go out to their place to check it out. It is not our job to weed out the calls to determine what is real or what is a waste of time.”
“So I call Bill if I think it is a medical emergency and Dave if I think it is a police matter?” Michelle asked. “What do I do if I’m not sure?”
“If you aren’t sure, you call Dave,” Betty replied, “but usually it will be easy to know who to call.”
“On some TV shows I’ve watched, the 911 operator keeps the caller on the line until the police or ambulance gets there,” Michelle said.
“That’s why we have two phones,” Betty replied. “The calls come in on the red phone and you call Dave or Bill on the black phone. If another call comes in while you are on the phone, push the lit button to put them on hold, then push the blinking button to take the other call. That part is simple enough. You will have to make the call as to how long to stay on the phone with the caller. Stay on as long as you feel necessary. Don’t rush to get off the line, just remember, you could be the last voice someone will ever hear in an emergency. Put yourself in their shoes and do your best to help them or make them feel as comfortable as you can.”
“I never thought about that,” Michelle replied. “That’s a big responsibility, I hope I can say the right things at a time like that.”
“Sometimes you don’t need to say much,” Betty said softly. “Sometimes just letting them know that you are there with them is all they need. No one wants to feel alone at a time like that.”
Michelle nodded.
“Now there is only one other situation you need to be aware of,” Betty continued. “When the phone rings, besides the name and address, below that information you will see the suggested police department or ambulance service to call for this particular caller. Most of the time, the phone service will direct the 911 call to the closest dispatch center, but there are situations where they can’t get through to the nearest dispatch center for some reason and they will direct the call to us. You handle the call the same way as all the other calls, except you call the emergency service shown on the screen.”
“What if I can’t get through to those numbers?” Michelle asked.
“In that case you call the State Police,” Betty replied. “If it is a medical emergency, call Bill. If he can’t determine what to do, he will send out one of our people.”
Michelle looked at the monitor as she thought about everything Betty had said.
“Sometimes I get calls on my cell phone that doesn’t show me who is calling,” Michelle said then asked, “what do we do if that happens?”
“If a name and address doesn’t show up we have to ask the caller where they are,” Betty replied. “Usually that won’t be a problem, the caller needs help and will tell you right away where they are.”
“But what if they don’t stay on the line long enough and you know there is a real emergency?” Michelle asked.
“In that case call Dave,” Betty replied. “I’ve been here a long time but I’ve never run into that situation. Just tell Dave what you know and maybe he would have a way to ping the number and find its location.”
“What if someone calls, but they either hang up or just say they called me by accident?” Michelle asked.
“Every call you get you will either call Bill or Dave,” Betty replied. “In the situation you mentioned, it would have to be investigated to be sure there isn’t something going on where the caller really does need help.”
“Like someone holding a gun to their head and telling them to hang up the phone?” Michelle asked.
“That’s always a possibility,” Betty replied. “It’s our job to tell Bill or Dave about every call. It’s their job how to handle it from there.”
“I guess I’ll be talking to Bill and Dave a lot,” Michelle finally said.
“Yes you will,” Betty replied. “That’s why the first thing I told you about was them.”
The red phone on the desk in front of Michelle began to ring.
“Slide over,” Betty said. “I’ll take the first call to show you what we do. You can take the next call. Look at the screen, what do you see?”
“Martin Daniels, 81 Martha’s Lane, Kingsland, Ga. Ph number 819-242-5527,” Michell replied. “I know where that is, it’s over by the Springfield Inn where I used to work.”
“They are also a first-time caller,” Betty said. “That usually indicates that it is a real emergency.”
“911 Dispatch, what is your emergency?” Bet
ty asked as she held the phone up to her ear.
“I think my husband had a heart attack,” a frantic voice said over the phone.
“Is he breathing?” Betty asked.
“Yes, but he is having terrible chest pains and he can’t get up off the floor,” the voice replied. “I need an ambulance right away.”
“You’re at 81 Martha’s lane?” Betty asked.
“Yes, please hurry,” the woman’s voice replied.
“I’ll send an ambulance out right away,” Betty said. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No, just please hurry,” the woman replied.
“An ambulance is on the way,” Betty replied. “If you have a porch light, please turn it on. It will help the men find your location faster.”
“I will,” the woman replied.
“Just put a pillow under your husband’s head to make him as comfortable as you can,” Betty added. “Some one will be there soon.”
“Thank You, the lady said and hung up the phone.
Betty pointed to the number for Medic One on the screen as she picked up the black phone and dialed the number.
“Bill,” Betty said, “We have a man at 81 Martha’s Lane having chest pains. He is on the floor unable to get up. His wife said she believes he had a heart attack. She will turn on the porch light to help you locate her.”
“Got it,” Bill replied and quickly hung up.
A moment later, Betty and Michelle heard the sound of a siren coming from across the street, then listened as it slowly faded as the ambulance drove away.
“That’s how you do it, Michelle,” Betty said. “Now we type in the details on the screen and we’re done. Bill will stop over later when he gets back to let you know what happened. He will enter his notes over at Medic One and they will show up here on our screen, but he likes to visit and will come over to tell us in person anyhow. Especially tonight because he knows you are here and he is anxious to check you out.”
Gee, I hope I don’t disappoint him,” Michelle laughed.
“I’m positive he won’t be disappointed,” Betty smiled. “Just remember, he is married.”
Just then the red phone began to ring again.
“Do you think you are ready to take this one?” Betty asked.
Michelle felt nervous, but didn’t want Betty, her smoking supervisor to know it, “I’m ready.”
“Look at the screen first,” Betty reminded her.
“Tom Jefferies, 100 Sunnyside Drive, Kingsland,” Michelle said as she read the name and address off the screen.
“That’s over by the submarine base,” Betty said.
“911 Dispatch, what is your emergency?” Michelle asked.
“Help me!” a man’s voice replied.
Michell looked at Betty then asked again, “How can I help you?”
There was no response.
“Sir, what is wrong?” Michelle asked.
Again, no response.
“Sir, can you hear me?” Michelle asked.
Again, no response.
“Sir, if you can hear me, I will have someone at your location in a few minutes. Help is on the way. Just try to relax and don’t worry, we will be there shortly,” Michelle said.
Michell looked at Betty again and whispered, “Should I hang up?”
Betty shook her head no, “No, call Dave but stay on the line a little longer.”
Michelle nodded, set down the red phone and picked up the black phone and dialed the number for the police department showing on the screen.
“Dave,” Michelle said when a man’s voice answered the phone. “This is Michelle over at the 911 Dispatch. We have a man caller, Tom Jefferies at 100 Sunnyside Drive that called and all he said was help me.”
“Any sounds that might indicate what the problem might be?” Dave asked.
“Nothing,” Michelle replied. “I have the call on the other line and will continue to listen.”
“I’m leaving now,” Dave said. “If you hear anything, call Carrie and she will relay your message. Call Medic One and have them send out an ambulance, but tell them to run silent and stay two blocks out until I advise them what I find. Dave out.”
The phone went dead.
Michelle held the red phone back to her ear, “Sir, if you can hear me, help is on the way. Don’t worry, someone will there in a few minutes.”
Michelle listened to the silence for a moment then put the phone down and picked up the black phone and dialed Medic One.
“The is Ted,” a voice replied.
“Ted, this is Michelle over at the Dispatch Center, Dave is heading out to 100 Sunnyside Drive. He wants you to send an ambulance out and wait two blocks from his location until he contacts you with further instructions. He also said for you to not use the siren.”
“What’s happening out there?” Ted asked.
“A man from that location just called and all he said was help me,” Michelle replied. “We don’t know what happened.”
“On our way,” Ted replied. “How long will you be on duty tonight, some of the guys want to come over and meet you later?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Michelle smiled. “Just go do your job!”
Then Michelle hung up and then held the red phone back to her ear.
“We’re on the way, you just hang in there,” she said into the silence.
Betty nodded and motioned for her to hang up the phone.
“You handled that very well,” Betty said. “I especially liked how you handled the guys at Medic One.”
“Thanks,” Michelle smiled then her expression became serious. “Did you ever have a call like this before?”
“No, that was a strange one,” Betty replied.
“What do you think happened?” Michelle asked.
“I don’t know, Dave will fill us in when he returns,” Betty replied then added, “Don’t forget to fill in the details of the call.”
Michelle began to type in her notes as she wondered what had happened over at Sunnyside Drive.
Chapter 2
Dave gunned the engine after cautiously going through the red light as he got on the Laurel Island Parkway then turned left on to Kings Bay Road.
A few minutes later he made another left onto Route 40.
It was only another half mile before he would come to the small development where Sunnyside Drive was located.
Patrolman Peter Johnson sat in the passenger’s seat and held on to the arm rest to brace himself as he watched the GPS unit on the car’s dashboard and anticipated the next turn.
The Kings Bay Submarine Naval Base was now a few hundred yards off the right side of the car.
Most of the base sat closer to the inlet that the submarines used to slip into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but you were able to see many of the support buildings that sat further inland from their position now on Route 40.
Pete looked off in the distance at the dark skyline around the base, but quickly refocused his attention back on the road ahead as Dave swerved to miss a cat that came out of nowhere and darted across the road in front of the patrol car.
“Did the system have anything on this Tom Jeffries?” Pete asked as Dave turned left onto Plantation Village Drive then slowed the patrol car down to a crawl as they entered the development.
Pete could see that the GPS was indicating that their destination was now only one block away from their present position.
“Nothing much,” Dave replied. “He doesn’t have a record or any outstanding warrants or tickets. The last known employer was the U.S. Navy, so he may be stationed at the Base and is living off base on Sunnyside Drive.”
“Sounds like a regular guy, I wonder why he called 911?” Pete asked.
“My first reaction was he just might have had an accident of some sort,” Dave replied. “But then I got a gut feeling that we should approach this with caution. A Navy man working at a high-level security facility, living off base, would not be your everyday enlisted man. He could be i
nvolved in some kind of classified work or research. With all the world tension and espionage going on, who knows what we might be walking into here.”
“It sounds like you might be over thinking this a little, maybe you’ve been watching too much TV,” Pete chuckled.
“I was going to call the Base and see what they would tell us about this guy, but since we didn’t have the time and it is so late, if my suspicions are right, I doubt they would have told me anything anyhow,” Dave replied as he turned right on to Sunnyside Drive.
“So, we are just going to drive slowly past the house first to evaluate the situation before we attempt to go in,” Dave continued. “It’s the next place on the right. I’ll scan the house, you concentrate on the yard and neighboring buildings. Just look for anything out of place or that just doesn’t look right.”
Dave drove slowly by the house.
“Do you see anything?” Dave asked.
“The street light isn’t much help,” Pete replied. “But from what I can see I don’t see anything unusual. How about you?”
“The house is completely dark,” Dave said. “I would think there should be at least one light on if the guy was up and involved in some type of accident.”
“Maybe he was in bed and woke up having a heart attack,” Pete replied as they continued down the street past the house. “Things like that have happened before.”
“It could be,” Dave said as he turned the patrol car around at the end of the block.
Dave drove the car back to the house, parked on the street in front of the house and shut off the engine.
“Grab your flashlight and let’s go see what we have,” Dave said as he flicked his flashlight on and off to check the battery.
Then the men got out of the car and quietly shut the doors.
“It smells like hell out here,” Pete said. “Is there another whale beached over at the base?”
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