Seattle-Area 911 System Overloaded Officials Look Into Setting Up 311 Line For Nonemergencies

When you dial 911, it’s supposed to be an emergency, right?

So how do you explain the calls about leaky sinks, bloody noses, passed-out drunks and stranded cats?

More and more people are relying on 911 as the place to call for just about any kind of help, and Seattle’s emergency system is straining to keep up.

In 1970, two years before Seattle established its 911 system, there were about 450,000 calls for police and fire services. Last year, there were 839,000 calls. In that 26-year period, the population of the city itself increased by just 17,791.

Nine-one-one “was almost over-sold that we can solve all the problems,” said Randy Tibbs, Seattle police director of communications. “Nine-one-one is great for emergencies, but we wanted it to be anything to anybody, in terms of police and fire, anytime, anywhere.

“With 400,000 calls a year, that was OK.”

With more than 800,000 calls a year, there are problems, The dramatic increase prompted the Metropolitan King County Council last spring to authorize a study on setting up a second number - 311 - for people seeking nonemergency assistance. The study is expected to be finished in September.

So far, Baltimore is the only city using a 311 system, which it started in October.

There are concerns about 311. Some worry that it might confuse people, or that it could be difficult to coordinate among jurisdictions.

Some people feel the public simply needs to be better educated about what constitutes a 911-worthy emergency.

But emergency officials say they would welcome some relief.

“I can’t tell you how many times we go on a run and someone says: ‘I didn’t feel good, I’ve been burning up and running a fever.’ And we say, ‘Well, it sounds like you’ve got the flu,”’ one firefighter told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

“It’s just frustrating to go to a bloody nose when someone else might be having a heart problem.”

Explanations for the rise in 911 calls range from the increase in the number of cellular telephones to the growing realization that such a call will bring assistance quickly.

People “know if they need help, they call 911,” said Paul Feist, a spokesman for the Seattle Fire Department. “It’s a confidence thing.”

Since dispatchers set priorities, the increase in nonemergency calls has not affected police responses to true emergencies, Tibbs said.

Seattle firefighters handle all aid calls, whose numbers have also ballooned. In 1970, firefighters received 7,750 calls. Last year, there were 52,600.