After responding to a 911 call that turned out to be a false alarm, Kamloops Search and Rescue (KSAR) is reminding people about what to do to avoid wasting the time and resources of first responders.
At 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14, BC Emergency Health Services (ambulance) reached out to KSAR to say they had received an emergency SOS notification from an iPhone, and asked KSAR to respond.
The notification had come from the Red Lake area northwest of Kamloops. Twelve KSAR members responded to the call, with two teams 香蕉视频直播� one from the east and one from the west 香蕉视频直播� sent to the area to conduct a coordinated search.
When they arrived at the coordinates where the notification had originated, KSAR members contacted individuals who were at a nearby construction site. The searchers were told that someone香蕉视频直播檚 iPhone's SOS feature had been activated accidentally, but that they thought the alert had been successfully cancelled. However, the activation message had already been sent.
After confirming that there was no emergency, and that the activation had been unintentional, the KSAR teams stood down and returned to quarters.
The emergency SOS feature allows iPhone users to quickly call emergency services by pressing and holding specific buttons on their device (Android phones have a similar feature). When the emergency SOS is activated, the phone automatically dials 911 (or local emergency services), and may send your location to contacts and first responders.
If the feature is accidentally triggered, the best course of action is to cancel the call during the countdown. If the call goes through, remain on the line and explain your situation. Do not simply hang up, because 911 responders will not assume that everything is fine just because you ended the call. Instead, wait until the call is answered, then say "I'm sorry, my phone accidentally dialed 911, and I'm OK."
Similar false alarm emergency SOS calls were reported by the search and rescue teams in Clearwater and Williams Lake earlier this summer. They lead to a waste of time and resources, as these calls are all treated seriously and taken to indicate that people are in distress and need assistance.
Search and rescue teams are not the only first responders dealing with false 911 calls. E-Comm 香蕉视频直播� B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 911 call-taking service 香蕉视频直播� says that nearly 20 per cent of their call volume comes from accidental dials, and that these calls can have dangerous side effects. Call-takers are required to call back and ensure there is no emergency, which diverts critical resources away from people who need them. If you somehow dial 911 accidentally, always stay on the line and explain what happened.
To prevent accidental emergency SOS calls on your phone, you can disable the feature in your device香蕉视频直播檚 settings. While the feature can be helpful in an emergency, it can easily be triggered by holding down the side button or pressing it multiple times. By disabling the feature, you can avoid accidentally calling emergency services while still retaining the option to dial an emergency number manually if needed.
