911:: But...

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--- Received from NSWP.8939129 0292192200 02/06/00 01:49

-> 911consoleegroups

Jim Reeves Jr, writes:

We have a large population of migrant farmworkers in our county, most of

them from Mexico. Many of them speak English..... sort of. We once got a

call of " burning tires... much smoke! " . That one was almost transferred

to the fire department, before w

e realized it was reckless driving..... (burning rubber, peeling out,

whatever the local term might be). The more excited the caller is, the

less clear the image becomes. " Come fast... they are throwing bullets! "

(shots fired). " Come quick.... someon

e turn off the fire! " (send the fire trucks).

Another fun time for us is trying to get directions.... east, west, north,

south......

The other day Larry was trying to find out which way the suspect ran, and

was not having any luck. From the road name, he knew the choice was east

or west. Well, to the east of us are the Sierra Nevada mountains (just a

few miles), and to the west of us

is the Pacific Ocean (150 miles, but it's out there). So Larry asks the

following.... " OK, he ran away....if he kept running, would he run into

the mountains, or into the ocean?? " The response? " There's no beach in

Earlimart! " That one got away.....

.........

My all time favorite, however, is the call another dispatcher took.

Caller: " Is it legal for a 16 year old and a 15 year old to have sex, if

they are not brother and sister? "

Dispatcher: " ummmm, just a moment, please " click on hold.

Jim Reeves, Jr. KC6YRU ICQ # 884017

Tulare County CA Sheriff's Office 9-1-1/Dispatcher

I write:

Same stuff down here. We have an extremely large migrant population and

sometimes it can be a real chore trying to figure out what they're trying

to say. The ones that say, " someone stole my house " is easier to

understand than some of the others. I had a call once from a fellow with

a strong ish accent, and I couldn't figure out what he was saying.

At first I didn't realize he was ish and thought English was a

second language for him, so I asked him for his native language so I could

get an interpreter. When I learned to the truth, I sat there scratching

my heard wondering if there was a such thing as an ish interpreter.

And, like the one person related on the list about east vs west (sorry, I

accidently deleted the post) by using the ocean and mountains as a

reference, I too got a lesson in frustration. My caller didn't know

east from west, so I asked them, " is it towards the mountains or ocean? "

Well, this particular area concerned is about halfway between both (only

approx 20 miles to each), and my caller says, " neither, we aren't close

to the ocean, nor the mountains. "

To sum it up, there are people out there that I wouldn't want to entrust

getting me help if my life depended on it.

Chuck

Sydney, Australia