Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

911 Dispatchers Describe The Times They Actually Had To Contain Their Laughter On A Call

911 Dispatchers Describe The Times They Actually Had To Contain Their Laughter On A Call

911 dispatchers have fast-paced and hectic jobs. Emergencies can pop up at any time, so the job can become very tense and stressful on very short notice. In many cases, the lives of the people on the other end of the line depend on the dispatcher's quick thinking and actions.

But there are also silly and pointless calls to break up that stress. Many of these are hilarious, even ridiculous, because people call 911 for the weirdest reasons.


Dispatchers shared their stories with us after Redditor HOW_TO asked the online community:

"911 dispatchers, what was a time you had to contain your laughter?"

"Got a call..."

"Got a call from one of the managers at a bowling alley complaining that their ice machine was broken and it’s a really busy night and how if someone doesn’t come out to fix it, there will be no cold drinks."

blue_13

When do you draw the line of giving them a citation and how much would it cost? I would crack myself up so hard if I got this call.

"I definitely..."

"I definitely laughed when a woman called to tell us that her husband kept leaving the toilet seat down."

[deleted]

"A woman called 911..."

"A woman called 911 demanding that a man sitting on her favorite park bench be removed by the police. She was told misuse of 911 is a crime, but she called back two more times. Not sure whatever became of her, but I would imagine she got a big fine."

drygnfyre

We would hope so. People who misuse 911 are something else...

"When I was dispatching for the police..."

"When I was dispatching for the police, there was this one time where this guy called in and said that he was being chased by a chicken. I tried my best to keep a straight face, but I was laughing so hard on the inside."

Beginningtheinfluence55

Did all those Family Guy episodes about the rooster just spring out into the real world?

"Teenager..."

"Teenager attempted to get police because there was a 'monster chicken' walking around behind a gate at someone's house. Turns out he didn't know what turkeys looked like."

moosesanddave

Okay, this is hilarious. You'd think he would have figured this out if he'd ever celebrated Thanksgiving...

"I once again said..."

"Some lady called me asking if we could have a unit "house-sit" for her while she went on vacation for a week. I told her we don't do that, she'd need to hire someone or ask family to help out."

"She got all angry and huffed and puffed at me saying I don't understand anything. She simply wanted them to stay in her house, watch the dogs, and make sure no one tried to break in as an off-duty job."

"I once again said we don't do off-duty work in civilian homes and she angrily hung up on me."

"I still think back to it and laugh. People are weird."

NoCalligrapher

Wow. Imagine being that entitled. I can't.

"Woman called 911..."

"Woman called 911 requesting an ambulance because she had taken two of her son's weed gummies on an empty stomach and "felt like she was floating in slow motion.""

"Also requested that I send the police to arrest her. My favorite part was her son in the background going "Mom, you didn't seriously call 911. For the love of god, hang up the phone. You are fine.""

[deleted[

Okay, this is hilarious. Poor woman, though. We are sure it felt like a very odd experience.

"Man called in on a pay phone to advise us that he was taking a s*it in said pay phone. Was in hysterics for a long while after that one."

Zouct

At least he warned you, not to mention the clean-up crew...

"All the time..."

"All the time, however it’s not so hard because there is a highly utilized mute button."

Aloeplant9

Ah, yes, the mute button! How could we forget?

"I had a 911 open line..."

"I had a 911 open line where I could absolutely hear a young man and his lady friend having some vigorous, um, fun. But because I couldn’t get either of them to actually pick up the phone… I had to send a pair of officers to their RapidSOS location."

Gaudy_Tripod

Well, that's definitely one way to kill the mood.

911 dispatchers' jobs can be stressful, but it's good to know that they also have plenty of time to enjoy a laugh on the job!

But seriously, people: Don't call 911 for silly stuff. That's a good way to get yourself into trouble.

Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Bad Bunny
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Height Requirement To Be Part Of Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show Baffles Fans

Bad Bunny fans were already excited to hear that he would be performing the halftime show at the 2026 Super Bowl, but they were even more excited when his team put out a call for volunteers to be a part of the show.

Fans everywhere eagerly signed up, some going so far as to make tentative travel plans if they were accepted for one of the volunteer slots.

Keep Reading Show less
Ted Cruz; Donald Trump
Kayla Bartowski/Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images

2016 Video Of Ted Cruz Warning That Trump Might Nuke Denmark Resurfaces Amid Greenland Spat

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz is receiving major side-eye after video from 2016 resurfaced, reminding observers that he once warned that then-candidate—and unfortunately once again-President—Donald Trump might nuke Denmark if elected.

Cruz made the remark to reporters while campaigning himself in Goffstown, New Hampshire, shortly after winning that year's Iowa caucuses.

Keep Reading Show less
Comedian Nikki Glaser appears on The Howard Stern Show to reveal the Golden Globes jokes that didn’t make it to air.
The Howard Stern Show/YouTube

Nikki Glaser Just Revealed The Jokes She Cut From The Golden Globes—And Some Of Them Are Hilariously Brutal

Nikki Glaser not only survived her second Golden Globes hosting gig but came armed with receipts for the jokes that didn’t make it to air.

In a post-ceremony appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the comedian revealed what was cut from her opening monologue at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how close several celebrities came to being absolutely torched on live television.

Keep Reading Show less
A shot of a person's handcuffed hands held in the air against a white background.
Photo by niu niu on Unsplash

People Break Down Which Things Are Truly A Victimless Crime

Is everything described as a "crime" really a crime?

Some actions are just more... wrong, or naughty.

Keep Reading Show less

Cheaters Who Never Got Caught Divulge How They Feel About It Now

There's a long-running saying that once a person cheats, they will eventually cheat again.

While that might not be true for everyone, and mistakes absolutely do happen, a lot of that repetition comes from how remorseful or guilty a person feels as a result of cheating on their partner.

Keep Reading Show less