Correct details are vital when reporting an emergency

Various phone calls made to the SA CAN helplines last week revealed that callers’ details are often very vague which leads to a lack of vital information and can even delay emergency personnel.

When a massive veld fire broke out on Sunday afternoon (22 June), threatening many houses in the vicinity of Neville Road and the surrounding area in Gillitts, residents called in to report the fire but did not give the correct address which confused the situation.

 “People were reading messages on WhatsApp which were incorrect and that meant SA CAN had to literally phone Metro Fire every five minutes to confirm that they were going to the correct address and hadn’t been redirected by a community member who was working on an assumption.

“We ask respectfully that if you are not sure of exactly what is going on, don’t give an address. It’s best to report the incident’s general vicinity,” said Teresa Jones from SA CAN.

Another example was a call made to report a suspicious person in the Ashley area, Pinetown. However, the description was very vague.

SA CAN duty managers suggest taking note of the following when reporting a suspicious person:

Body type / built (skinny, well-built, chubby etc.)

Race

Clothing (Pants, shirt, jacket, hat, cloves, shoes etc.)

Hair (long, short, colour, facial hair etc.)

Height

Any other identifying factors like backpacks, scars, tattoos, housebreaking implements, weapons, sport bags etc.

It is also vitally important to ensure that your family and friends know exactly where you are and who to contact in case they are unable to get hold of you.

Know your wife, husband or children’s vehicle details (make, model, colour, registration number) and their most frequent locations.

Brian Jones who was also on duty, said, “A concern I have found is when people are phoning on behalf of others, which is becoming a common issue among neighbourhood watches. A person can’t phone and say, ‘I received a WhatsApp message and have an address only’.”

The following is needed on every call: name, cell number, exact address, nearest landmark or intersection and the basic nature of the emergency.

“We will dispatch and then phone the original complainant to verify information and get an update. If you do not have the above details, especially the original complainant, no dispatch will take place. This is also true for several other emergency services such as SAPS, Metro Fire, Metro Police, Air Mercy Services, Crisis Centres,” said Brian.

SA CAN’s contact numbers are:

08 616 72226 (Emergency AAA Line)

08 616 23646 (Admin Help Desk)

083 799 1916 (24hr Duty Manager)