PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Pinellas County leaders are sounding the alarm over a big problem: accidental 9-1-1 calls, and we found out it's causing issues with emergency response times.
"It was really scary; she was only eight months old, and she started breaking out in hives after having peanut butter for the first time," said Pinellas County mother Kassie Thomas.
Thomas will never forget the fear she felt dialing 911 as her daughter went into anaphylactic shock.
"I just instantly started crying because I knew they were going to save her because I didn't realize she had become full anaphylaxis...So just having that was such a relief, knowing how quickly they came," said Thomas.
She's still thankful for that swift response from the Pinellas County 911 Call Center.
"What if nobody answered that call, she would have died," said Thomas.
But one problem is making it more difficult for employees at the call center to help people in emergencies.
"It can potentially interfere with us receiving a real call for help in a timely manner," said Judith Weshinskey-Price, who works at the call center.
Price says Android and Apple pushed out phone updates in January of this year, making it easier to dial 9-1-1.
Accidentally dialing 9-1-1 is as easy as pressing the on button on your phone five times in a row... and at the call center, employees say they've seen up to 14 accidental calls in a row.
"If it's in your cup holder and you are going over a bumpy street, if it's in your purse, and it's pressed up against something, it's very easy for that to happen," said Price.
Price says accidental dials make up 20% of the emergency calls they receive.
But you may not know something: if you accidentally dial 911, don't hang up.
"They're not going to get in trouble; we aren't going to yell at them. We are just going to confirm that they are okay," said Price.
She adds it can take resources away from real emergencies if they have to send a crew to check on you.
"If we aren't able to confirm that there is no emergency, we might pass it on to one of our partner response agencies," said Price.
Now, Pinellas County leaders are asking you to go into your phone settings and either give yourself more time to confirm that you want to dial 911 or deactivate the quick 911 settings altogether.
Thomas urges everyone to be careful, saving emergency response for those who need it.
"I was super thankful. My daughter is the reason why I live and breathe, so if she wasn't here today, I don't know where I would be," said Thomas.
