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OPP asking for 911 pocket dials to stop

HUNTSVILLE, ON- A high amount of unintentional 911 calls is prompting a regular reminder from the police.

In Huntsville, the town’s OPP detachment responded to almost 40 pocket dials and unintentional 911 calls over the past weekend. According to them, every pocket dial or unintentional call wastes time for emergency dispatchers.

“For every unintentional call or pocket dial received, an emergency communicator must determine whether a real emergency exists and if police, fire or paramedics should be dispatched,” read the announcement from the detachment.

“With every unintentional call received, precious seconds may be taken away from someone who really needs help.”

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If you place a 911 call unintentionally, stay on the line to let the emergency operator know it was unintentional or a pocket dial.

“Every 9-1-1 call is taken seriously,” read the announcement.

“When a 9-1-1 caller doesn’t respond, that could be a sign of trouble – a possibility an emergency responder can’t ignore.”

Easy ways to prevent unintentional calls or pocket dials are the following:

•Using the keypad lock feature. Keypad locks, some of which can be programmed to activate automatically, prevent a mobile device from responding to keystrokes until the user unlocks the keypad using a short combination of key presses or password.

•Turning off the 9-1-1 auto-dial feature. Check the user manual or the manufacturer’s website, or call the service provider to determine whether your device has this feature and how to turn it off.

•Refraining from programming a wireless device to automatically or “speed dial” 9-1-1.

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