SPOKANE, Wash. — As the summer outdoor adventure season gets underway, Spokane Regional Emergency Communications is asking people to help cut down on the number of inadvertent 911 calls.
Many smart watches have a feature that will automatically call 911 when it detects some sort of crash.
SREC said that a hard fall on a trail, hitting a large bump or crashing on your mountain bike, even simply slamming your watch can trigger the emergency SOS call without you realizing it.
SREC said while the SOS calls can save lives, incidental calls tie up 911 lines and emergency resources.
To help keep emergency lines and crew open for actual emergencies, SREC is asking people to:
— Know how your device’s emergency features work
— Cancel accidental alerts immediately if you’re okay
— Stay on the line if 911 calls you back
— Don’t ignore emergency notifications from your device
SREC said it is important for people to stay on the line if a 911 call is made. Hanging up without speaking means dispatchers must call back and may need to send responders to check on the person.
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