Time and time again, we have been told to call 999 / 911 or 511 when we’re faced with an emergency and in need of help. But do we really know what happens when that call is made? Here is how the system is designed to work.
Let us use a flood-based emergency as an example. When you call 999 / 911 or 511, the person taking your call (i.e. the Operator), is required to collect certain vital bits of information, hence the questions he or she will ask you. The call having ended, the operator then determines who needs to be informed of your situation. This usually includes the disaster management unit (DMU) of the municipality in which you live. Personnel of this unit will come to your assistance with a certain level of preparedness, based not only on experience but also on the information received from the operator.
Based also on what is known about your emergency, the DMU personnel may also call out other first response agencies (e.g the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, Ministry of Community and Social Development, or the Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross Society, to name a few). This approach ensures that the response to you or to the affected community is not only as quick as possible but also as complete as possible.
Therefore, it is vitally important to understand how our emergency response system works so that you know whom to call. For a fire-related emergency, call 990. For a crime-related emergency, call 999 / 911. For a medical emergency, call 811. For a hazard- related emergency, call the ODPM’s hotline at 511 or you may your municipal corporation’s DMU. If you’re in Tobago, you call 211. Just one call, the right one, should get you the help you need.
Just one call, the right one, should get you the help you need and the story should end there, yes?
However, sadly it does not, more often than not, as recent events are recalled. How do we ensure that the story ends there with the right call and assistance is given to the point of getting back to pre-event state?
EMATT wants to support and push forward the efforts in progress that will allow the story to end "there" and where efforts are absent, EMATT wants to offer a voice that is solution focused and results driven.
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