Knowing your location essential for emergency assistance

This week I will briefly touch on the emergency 911 system and what we will need from you in the event you need to dial it or its partner number, 311. Remember, 911 is limited to life-threatening emergencies; 311 is for those needs that are urgent but not emergent.

The nonemergency line for both police and fire is 702-293-9224, ext. 1. There are limited emergency lines into any dispatch center and if those are tied up with barking dogs and people who don’t want to call directory assistance, a life could literally be lost.

The very first thing we need from you is the address of the emergency. If we get nothing else, we need to know where you are and how to get to you. Situational awareness is at an all-time low and it is seriously the most dangerous “lack” we have in our everyday lives. We have our attention drawn to 100 different devices and in a mere second things can change.

Make sure you are aware of where you are (or where the emergency is). Address numbers, street names, business signs, or items of note such as a water tower, a new road, a building with metal chickens … anything could help.

It is untrue that every cellphone has sophisticated enough technology to locate you in any situation. Many times the location given is the closest cellular tower. That might be good if you are standing in an empty field but I doubt it’s going to be much help if you are in a crowded area.

Cellphones have a knack for dropping a call at just the time you need them the most and in certain cases some services were unable to dial 911. Technology advances have done away with our need to memorize important numbers or even to know how to locate a number in a phone book (if you even have one). We strongly encourage you to write a few important numbers down and keep them in a wallet or the glove compartment of your vehicle. It wouldn’t hurt to tune up the old brain a little and commit one or two to memory.

Nov. 16. Parking: The officer gives the driver a warning on wrong way parking despite their insistence of a law that allows for these stops when making deliveries at 10:27 a.m. in the 300 block of Wyoming Street.

Wanted: Officers are requested for a civil standby while the caller picks up personal belongings; however, it appears the primary resident hasn’t taken care of some court issues at 4:52 p.m. in the 1400 block of Stacey Lane.

Thought for the day: I’m always intrigued by the exceptions that people are well-versed in and the kazillion things they forget when it’s convenient.

Nov. 17. Vagrant: The man is verbally abusive and evasive with the officer as he pushes the illegally procured shopping cart down the street at 8:32 a.m. in the 1600 block of Boulder City Parkway.

Theft: The caller finds the bike rack empty when he returns with his purchases at 7:54 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the day: Cursing out the person writing the citation might not be the smartest move to make.

Nov. 18. Civil: The caller states his agreement with the intoxicated subject was null and void when payment was not made but he has returned to find the subject inside the residence and the door securely locked from the inside at 10:18 a.m. in the 700 block of Elm Street.

Suspicious: The caller reports the residents are stripping copper wire and it appears suspicious at 10:47 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.

Thought for the day: I think I’d be fixing that door to prevent that situation in the future.

Nov. 19. DUI: The driving pattern indicates impairment or rodents loose on the floorboard at 2:31 p.m. in the 1400 block of Boulder City Parkway.

DUI: The driver breathes a sigh of relief just a little too soon at 10:13 p.m. in the area of U.S. Highway 93 and Gingerwood Street.

Thought for the day: Key-ring breathalyzers are a heck of a lot less expensive than the lessons learned today.

Nov. 20. Identification theft: The unexpected loan approval was bad enough but now the credit cards, not applied for, are rolling in at 10:16 a.m. in the 700 block of Park Street.

Found property: Someone will eventually miss their iPad at 2:01 p.m. in the 1300 block of Airport Road.

Thought for the day: Contact the evidence technician at 702-293-9605 with the serial number and description if you are missing yours.

Nov. 21. Accident: The caller reports a silver sedan drove right off the roadway and may have crashed at 5:33 a.m. in the area of U.S. Highways 93 and 95.

Assist other department: The coughing caller reports the firing up of the fireplace didn’t go as planned at 7:53 p.m. in the 1300 block of Georgia Avenue.

Thought for the day: You might want to have those wood-fired appliances checked out a bit before they are needed.

Nov. 22. Threats: The excitement or the alcohol riled up the cowboy today and both parties agree to disagree and part ways at 5:44 p.m. in the 1200 block of Corral Road.

Suspicious vehicle: The vehicle has a cord running from the front and going into the building at 10:43 p.m. in the 1500 block of Veterans Memorial Drive.

Thought for the day: After a long night’s work it’s not fun to find the need to plug in the battery charger.

Call(s) of the week: Public assist: The caller states her elderly neighbor has asked her to call police to report that she cannot “get out.” The officer arrives to find the very frail woman anxiously awaiting his arrival to advise him that she has no idea why her land line will not work but the calls just won’t “go out” and she needs him to fix it. After collaborating with dispatch, a call is made to the phone provider to make sure they have service in the event of an emergency. Just another reason why Boulder City is a great place to live and work at 2:11 p.m. Nov. 17 in the 200 block of Kaelyn Street.

Tina Ransom is a dispatcher with Boulder City Police Department. She is coordinator of the Boulder City Citizen’s Academy.