Pranksters target emergency services
Prank callers are urged not to waste the time and resources of the life-saving organisations.
ONE of the country’s biggest emergency response units, Netcare 911, has publicly condemned prank calls. This after paramedics were called to an emergency in Sebokeng, where a woman had reportedly been shot.
However, while racing to the scene the paramedics discovered that it had been a prank call, said the organisation’s spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe.
Last year, over 33 000 hoax phone calls also crippled the services of ER24 paramedics.
Mathe has appealed to the community to refrain from making unnecessary calls to emergency services, as it wastes time and resources that could be used saving lives.
“Netcare911 would like to make the public aware that paramedics put their lives at risk when they race to the scene of hoax emergencies,” she said.
What is more, she said prank calls could compromise the medical care of people who are in life threatening situations, as it could take paramedics longer to get the scene.
