City Says No, Really, Don’t Call Us With New “311″ System
In a response to complaints about 911 wait times, Nutter wants to add a “311″ system by the end of the year that would give Philadelphians another number to call for non-emergencies. Before you point out that some pigeon-brained locals have no idea what constitutes as an urgent predicament best attended to with a lights and alarm show, relax. Dude thought the same thing! Included in the plan is an education program with brochures to assure Philadelphians that there are no free rides to the hospital unless you’re minutes away from death, and even then, they expect you to hold on a little longer.
For those minor tragedies, you’ll be expected to dial 311, where someone will probably answer the phone in a bored voice that’s munching Cheetos and belittle your problems while trimming their fingernails. By this time, your issues will be worth giving up on, or will have escalated into a 911-worthy extreme, which should make the judgment call easier to make.
KYW: If You Call 911 For Your Curling Iron Burn, They Will Come To Your House And Slap You In The Face
February 18th, 2008 at 11:57 am
man, i had a friend that worked for the city’s 911 a while back – as sad as it is – the # of calls from people without any true emergency were OVERWHELMING … the 311 is a great addition – but the truth remains, idiots are idiots and they won’t call either, since their keypad doesn’t have an ‘eleven’ on it in the first place
February 18th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
You’d be surprised how many calls you’d think could or should be handled by a precinct’s non-emergency numbers are met with instructions to hang up and call 911.
311 systems always have some confusion when they’re implemented. While the city gov is seriously behind the times with setting up a line, you gotta give ‘em credit for picking up on the learning curve issue from those who’ve gone on ahead of them.
I think Philebs is just getting a little sweaty cuz, while most neighbors won’t call 911 for nuisances, 311 is the de facto “shut da effin the house party down” line. Culture’s gonna change under Ram’s watch.