PENSACOLA, Fla. -Every day, hundreds of 911 calls come pouring into Escambia County Emergency Communications. Last year, they say they answered over 200,000 calls and this year they’ve already had 15,000. Public Information Officer Davis Wood says a lot of these are calls that don’t require an ambulance.
Wood says some of these calls can cause more serious calls like a heart attack or major car accident to be put on hold which can slow down the process before an ambulance can move on to another emergency. Because of that, which can be costly to the patient and the county. Wood says if you have a major injury then you should call 911 and get help immediately. But if you’re unsure whether you need to be taken to a hospital, he says you should still call and let a dispatcher help you figure it out.