In Any Language, 911 Means Help

Posted 2008-02-28
Non-English Speakers Advised To Make The Call

The Daily News Record
By Pete DeLea

HARRISONBURG - Following a recent fatal fire, Harrisonburg's fire chief is concerned that non-English speakers, unaware of how the 911 system operates, won't get help in time.

A witness to the Feb. 16 fire, for example, left the scene to find someone who spoke English, according to Fire Chief Larry Shifflett.

In this incident, Shifflett said, the additional time it took to find someone else to call for help likely didn't make a difference in whether the victim could have been saved.

"The victim had succumbed way before the first phone call was made," he said. "The three or four minutes wouldn't have made a difference in this case, but in another situation it might."

The Fire Call

According to fire officials, a Hispanic man arrived at Renee Rodregiez's apartment on Old Furnace Road and smelled smoke as he knocked on the door.

Concerned for his 70-year-old blind friend, fire officials say, the man left the scene to go to a woman's house on Norwood Street for help. Shifflett said it's unclear whether the man had a cell phone.

When the man arrived at the other friend's home, they tried to figure out the location of Rodregiez's apartment. They eventually told emergency dispatchers the apartment was on Vine Street.

Firefighters went to Vine Street but found no signs of a fire.

"He didn't know what street it was on, so firefighters sat idle on Vine Street for three to four minutes," Shifflett said.

Shifflett requested a Harrisonburg police officer to pick up the man to find the fire. The man led officers and firefighters to the apartment at 1074 Old Furnace Road.

Inside, firefighters found the man and his Seeing Eye dog dead. The fire was mostly out when firefighters arrived, said Shifflett, who said the blaze was caused by careless smoking.

Dispatch Has Access To Translators

Shifflett said people should stay as close to the scene of a fire as possible and dial 911, even if they don't speak English or know where they are.

The Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Emergency Communications Center, to which 911 calls are routed, subscribes to a phone service that can help dispatchers translate a variety of languages, from Spanish to Russian.

"A lot of people think they can't call 911 because they don't speak English, but they can," Shifflett said. "The service can provide translation for just about any known language."

He said in some situations, as in this case, people witness an emergency but don't immediately call for help because they don't know where they are and can't describe their location.

Shifflett, however, said there is no need to hesitate. He said people with cell phones can call 911 and dispatchers should be able to pinpoint a general vicinity of the call within seconds.

After it's pinpointed, a satellite image will appear on the dispatcher's computer screen, which provides detailed information to pass on to rescue crews.

Witnesses without a cell phone should try to get to the nearest phone, even if they have to ask a neighbor. A landline will allow dispatchers to pinpoint the exact location of a call.

"If you have access to a telephone, even if you don't know where you are, call 911," Shifflett said. "Had he knocked on a neighbor's door and called from there, [firefighters] would have found him faster."

Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com