Many parents are eager to teach their children about how to respond in an emergency, and one of the first steps is often to teach them to dial 911 if they ever need help.
Another crucial, but often less fine-tuned, aspect of the training is helping children understand what constitutes a serious emergency — especially since so many problems might seem pressing to a 5-year-old that are not medical or safety issues.
Dispatchers sometimes field calls from kids who have experienced “emergencies” that are not really reasons to call 911. This month a dispatcher with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida got one such urgent request.
“This little guy just learned about calling 911 for emergencies,” the sheriff’s office shared on Wednesday.
“He thought it was an emergency that he needed a dinosaur.
“The dispatcher explained what emergencies are. Then she bought two dinosaurs and sent a deputy (and the 2 dinosaurs!) to check on the child & his family.”
They shared a photo with a deputy and the boy holding his two new dinosaur toys.
On Thursday, the sheriff’s office added a photo of the kind-hearted dispatcher who not only took the time to explain to the young lad what an emergency was, but also went out of her way to get him the toys, too.
“The boy believed the absence of dinosaurs in his life was a real emergency and called 911,” the post stated.
“We explained to him the true nature of an emergency and when to call 911.
“A dispatcher at the [Orange County Sheriff’s Office] Comm Center, whose name is Priscila (pictured below on the right), bought two toy dinosaurs — a Rajasaurus and a Triceratops — and sent a deputy (and the two dinosaurs!) to check on the boy and his family.
“The boy loved the new toys!
“According to the notes from the call, lizards in the boy’s backyard ‘chase him and his little brother all the time, and hopefully with the addition of his two new dinos, he will now have the dinopower required to repel the lizards during any future encounters.’”
Many commented on the sheriff’s post to share similar stories of children’s logic that ended up with well-intentioned 911 calls.
Others suggested that this sort of response was enabling and that it would encourage the boy to call again. But most people were just thankful that such kind professionals were watching out for the citizens of Orange County.
