Cambridge, MD –
911 Dispatchers on the Midshore are joining ranks to ensure that 911 callers do not get a busy signal; instead overflow calls will roll over to another trained dispatcher in a neighboring county to insure that all calls are answered by a professional. “About 70 percent of 911 calls come in via cell phones,” said Emergency Services Director Anna Sierra. “Today, if our 911 Center gets overwhelmed by cell phone calls, the caller gets a busy signal. Our partnership with Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties will eliminate that problem.” This will be particularly important when there are simultaneous emergencies. For example, if there is a car accident on Route 50 with multiple witnesses calling 911, while elsewhere in the county someone is experiencing heart attack symptoms and someone else is hurt in a farming accident, this new roll over will ensure a trained 911 dispatcher will answer the call. All Midshore dispatchers are trained in life safety instructions such as guiding someone through the steps for CPR, controlling bleeding and even childbirth. “The message I really want to send to the public is that if you dial 911 and the call is answered by another county – do not hang up,” said Sierra. “We are working together and help is on the way.”

For additional information please contact DES Director Anna Sierra ([email protected]) or
911 Division Chief Kim Vickers ([email protected]); both can be reached by phone at 410-228-2222