TOLEDO, Ohio — To prepare for the July 4 holiday weekend, there was a light-hearted post from first responders making the rounds on social media. The aim is to make sure everyone knows the best time to call 911 versus calling the non-emergency number.
WTOL 11 went to the Lucas County Emergency Services Building Friday to speak with 911 dispatchers to hear about their calls.
Supervisors Andrew Laurell, who's been working in dispatch for 16 years, and Josh Cole, who's worked in dispatch for 12 years, shared some of the funny calls they've received or heard about over the years.
They also explained the importance of keeping the emergency line only for emergencies.
"If the fireworks started a small brush fire or something like that, that's when you would call 911," Laurell said. "If it's just the noise, utilize the non-emergency number."
At the Lucas County Emergency Services Building, Laurell and Cole are crossing their fingers for a quiet holiday weekend. But with nearly 30 years of experience between them, they said the center has to gear up for both emergency and non-emergency calls to come through the wrong lines.
Cole said the good news is, they don't typically get a lot of non-emergency calls on the 911 emergency line. But they want to stress that the community should keep the emergency lines clear for life-threatening emergencies.
"We prefer you call the non-emergency if it's light-hearted," Cole said. "We definitely need a good chuckle from time to time."
This weekend, if you have a question or just need help, and neither one of those situations are life-threatening, call the dispatch's non-emergency number at 419-255-8443.