In times of emergency
Elijah tried to go out of the house to ask for help from their friendly neighbor. But he found that he was locked from the outside. Elijah was officially home alone. This was when Elijah saw the telephone. He thought about calling someone but realized he did not know anybody’s number.
Then he remembered something. His mother taught him to call a number for help in case he was in trouble. It was short and he remembered it easily – 911. Feeling hungry and afraid, Elijah thought that this was the right moment to call the number.
A quiet shift
Meanwhile, at 911’s call center, the team was experiencing a relaxing, quiet shift so far. It was good that there was no ongoing crime or crises that day. Only a few calls were coming in and this gave the staff time to relax and get to know each other better.
Sara, one of the dispatchers, jumped when her phone started ringing. She picked up the call and could barely hear anything except for a few sniffing sounds. This made her sit up and alert. Her training had taught her that she should calm down whoever was on the other end of the line.