Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

911 Operators Divulge The Stupidest Reason Someone Has Ever Called In

911 Operators Divulge The Stupidest Reason Someone Has Ever Called In
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
Make us preferred on Google

Operators responding to 911 calls have the unenviable task of trying to keep distressed callers from panicking.


With requirements of the profession including efficient problem-solving under pressure and having excellent telecommunications skills, they are the unsung heroes of an emergency response team, and they are ready to take your call during a major crisis.

However, not all calls are emergencies.

Redditor CommunistWaffle990 asked strangers on the internet:

"911 operators of Reddit, what is the stupidest reason that someone has ever called?"

From a guy burning his tongue on a baked potato, to a ghost sighting in the attic, the responses did not disappoint.

Ready to put face to palm?


Alien Invasion

"July 1996 a dust storm blew in and at least 20 people called 9-1-1 to report aliens. Yes, the dust storm did look exactly like the one in the movie Independence Day that was just released. No, aliens were not invading."

tmccrn

Sinister Critters

"Police despatch in the UK. Had someone call in because 2 squirrels were fighting in her back garden 'no, we don't arrest squirrels.'"

"On a similar vein, had a recent immigrant call, had a strange & deadly creature in the back garden. On arrival, turns out to be a hedgehog."

"Also had woman hysterically call in about a snake in her toilet. Turned out to be big poo !"

mozgw4

Firefighter's Diary

"Firefighter here. Here are a few actual calls we have been started to:"

"Popcorn in the eye. Ghost in the attic."
"Possible smoke in the house (turns out the caller was crying which made things blurry so they thought it was smoke)."
"Adult with leg stuck in laundry shoot."
"Caller dropped a cigarette on the garage floor and didn't know what to do."
"Fried chicken was too dry."
"Leg through the floor while on the toilet."

stockpile548

Search, Not Rescue

"Here in the UK someone called the emergency services because he couldn't find the TV remote."

moon_monkey

Birthday Wish

"When I was 3 years old my dad said I could do anything I wanted for my birthday. I took it literally, and called 911."

bablume

She Didn't See Clearly

"Not an operator, but back when I was 20, I was at a party where a girl called 911. I went with my roommate to this party and we both crashed there. At the end of the night, he realized he forgot his contact lenses case at home, so he took a shot glass, filled it with water and put his contacts in. A few minutes later, the girl came into the room and saw the shot glass and downed it thinking it was vodka. When my roommate woke up and told he what she did, she got all panicked and called 911. I passed out before they arrived so I'm not sure what happened."

Wambolt90

Wait For It...

"Paramedic here."

"At the height of lockdown in the UK I was sent to a lady who called for an emergency ambulance as her 'sex drive was too high.'"

"Also on my list of stupid calls:"

"Guy in his late 30's who burnt his tongue on a baked potato."

"Someone who has had pain in their knee for 30 years (decided at 3am that this was the time to get it sorted.)"

"A man in his 40's who had a nightmare. A guy who thought he might feel unwell later."

"Man who scratched his testicle in the night with his long fingernail. No blood."

richcollins89

Call Of Shame

"I'm the one who called... I got lost in a hotel in the middle of the night after hooking up with some dude and ended up in their inner courtyard with everything locked. The receptionist told me he couldn't find me and to call the cops. They had to get me out of there. SO embarrassing. First thing I did when they picked up was apologize."

Lalauri89

Racoon In A Tree

"Bit late to the party, but I am a 911 operator so I've got that going for me."

"My personal favorite was the guy that called in because there was a racoon in a tree in his yard. It should be noted that I dispatch for a low density county and medium density small city."

"Me: Sir, what is it doing? Is it acting aggressive?"

"Racoon guy: No, he's just in my yard."

"Me : ... so what is the issue, what do you want done?"

"RG: I want someone to come get it. It shouldn't be here!"

"Me: Sir... raccoons.... live in trees."

"RG: But I live in the city!"

iamthemorgs

She Was Lit

"Had someone call in screaming that they were on fire. Sounded legit, I've heard a lot of different screams, including another of someone actually on fire, and this one sounded like one of those 'im actually dying' screams. I tried everything I could to get them to calm down, stop drop and roll, literally anything but she just kept screaming. When the fire department eventually got there she calmed down and I was able to hear her tell them that her crotch was on fire after she had sex with her neighbor....."

CasanovaVA

Overcooked Turkey

"I had one call on Thanksgiving that their oven was locked and they could not get their turkey out... it was really busy that night and we instructed them to turn the oven off and we could head over when we could."

Snidgetless

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Kylian Mbappe; Celeste Amarilla
Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images; Nath Aguilar/picture alliance via Getty Images

French Soccer Star Kylian Mbappé Perfectly Rips Paraguayan Senator After Her Vile Racist Post Attacking Him

French soccer star Kylian Mbappé has struck out forcefully at Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla following her racist rant.

Amarilla's screed came following Paraguay's World Cup loss to France.

Keep ReadingShow less
Troy Nehls; Statue of Liberty
Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images; Achim Thomae/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Slammed After Saying We Should Cover Up Statue Of Liberty To Deter Immigrants

During a xenophobic, racist rant about immigration on the Capitol Building steps, controversial Texas MAGA Republican Representative Troy Nehls called for a "bed sheet" to be placed over the Statue of Liberty for ten years.

The comment came just after Nehls disparaged the working class for not working as hard as he does after bragging about his plans for a lobster and ribeye feast for the 4th of July.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Mike Pence
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Images

Trump Gets Brutally Trolled With Old Mike Pence Posts After U.S. World Cup Defeat

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after Belgium knocked Team USA out of the World Cup after a 4–1 victory, with critics resurrecting jokes about former Vice President Mike Pence refusing to certify the 2020 election results.

The jokes are a response to Trump's role in the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun's eligibility. Balogun had received a red card—the most severe penalty a player can receive on the field—against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was initially set to serve an automatic one-match suspension before FIFA overturned the ban.

Keep ReadingShow less
Laura Ingraham
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Laura Ingraham Dragged After Claiming Masked White Nationalists Were Actually 'Antifa In Costume'

Fox News personality Laura Ingraham was criticized after suggesting the masked white nationalist members of Patriot Front who marched on Washington, D.C. on Saturday "were actually antifa in costume."

According to the group, roughly 400 members traveled to the nation's capital. Reuters photographers observed large numbers of participants riding Metro trains dressed in Patriot Front's signature uniform of khaki pants, blue shirts, white face coverings, baseball caps, and sunglasses.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patti LuPone at the "Another Simple Favor" Premiere held at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images

Patti LuPone Sounds Off After Turkey Denies Gay Cruise She's Performing On From Docking Due To 'Moral Values'

Patti LuPone is speaking out after Turkish authorities blocked a gay cruise from docking in the country, with officials reportedly citing a clash with local “moral values” as the reason.

The cruise, operated by LGBTQ+ tourism company Atlantis Events, departed Greece on July 5 and was scheduled to stop in the Turkish cities of Kuşadası and Istanbul before local authorities denied the ship entry. According to CNN and The Guardian, officials in Turkey's Aydin province informed organizers that the vessel would not be permitted to dock.

Keep ReadingShow less