Handling a Call with a Language Barrier and Limited Information
You answer a 9-1-1 call. The caller is speaking rapidly in Spanish and sounds panicked. You speak limited Spanish. You can make out the words "fuego" (fire), "casa" (house), and "niños" (children). The caller repeats "rápido" (fast). You hear crackling in the background and a child crying. The call drops after 45 seconds. Your CAD does not automatically show a location for this call because it came from a cell phone with location services disabled. The caller did not give an address. You have a language line available but it takes about 2 minutes to connect. You have no other information.
1. What are your immediate actions to locate the caller and dispatch help? Consider the information you have, the technology available, and the limitations of the call.
Read the worked answer
Immediate actions:
- Attempt to re-establish contact: Call the number back immediately. If the caller answers, keep them on the line and use the language line to get the address. Even if the language line takes 2 minutes, the caller may be able to provide an address in English or spell it.
- Use the language line: Connect to the language line while attempting call-back. Explain the situation to the interpreter and have them ready to translate if the caller answers.
- Ping the cell phone: Request a cell phone location ping through your CAD or service provider. Even with location services disabled, the carrier may be able to provide a triangulated location or the registered address of the account. This is a critical step for a fire with children trapped.
- Dispatch based on partial information: You heard "fuego" and "niños" and crackling. This is a reported structure fire with children inside. Do not wait for full address confirmation to dispatch fire units to the general area if you can narrow it down. Use the cell phone ping to get a location, then dispatch the closest fire station. If the ping is unavailable, dispatch to the area where the call originated (if known from the cell tower) and advise units to look for smoke.
- Notify other agencies: If you cannot locate the caller, alert police to assist in locating the source of the call and to check the area for smoke.
- Document: Record the partial information, the words understood, and the actions taken.
Key point: The combination of a fire, children, and a dropped call is a high-risk situation. The absence of an address does not justify delay; use all available location tools and dispatch to the best available location.
2. The call-back goes to voicemail. The cell phone ping returns a location on a 3-block stretch of Maple Avenue. How do you proceed? What do you tell the fire units?
Read the worked answer
Proceed:
- Dispatch fire units to the area: Send the closest fire engine and a ladder truck to Maple Avenue between the cross streets indicated by the ping. Tell them: "Reported structure fire with children inside, caller Spanish-speaking, call dropped, cell ping on Maple Avenue between X and Y. No exact address. Use caution and look for smoke."
- Request police assistance: Ask police to respond to the area to help locate the source and to check for smoke or fire.
- Continue location efforts: Keep trying the call-back number. If the language line is connected, have the interpreter ready to translate if the caller answers. Check if the cell phone account has a registered address; if it is on Maple Avenue, that is a strong lead.
- Consider door-to-door: Once units arrive on Maple Avenue, they can look for smoke and check houses. If the ping is a 3-block stretch, units can split up to cover the area quickly.
- Update CAD: Note the partial address and the actions taken.
What to tell the fire units: Provide all known details: "Structure fire, possible children trapped, caller speaking Spanish, call dropped, cell ping on Maple Avenue between X and Y. No exact address. Caller reported 'fuego' and 'niños' and crackling heard. Proceed to the area and look for smoke. Use caution." Emphasize the life hazard (children) and the need for a quick search if a fire is found.