Emergency call centers are in desperate need of funding and new technology. Until we upgrade our 911 system, we should at least create more informative PSA's.
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not sure what passes me off more...the fact that 911 is treated this way by government, or that a comedy news show on HBO gives better news one hour a week than Fox,CNN,MSNBC combined.
pisses*
+Crist Gord Christ Gord*
***** Skoosh
he just keeps our attention with the comedy
+Crist Gord technically, "passing" could also kind of work.
So the NSA can track me down even when I am not a terrorist in about 5 minutes, but if I'm dying of a heart attack on the floor and they can't track my cell to see where that is coming from seems alittle backwards and flipped around.
+yippyyippy yoyo It's like the NWA always said: fuck the police. And the sad thing is, they wrote that song as a stance against corrupt police officers.
+yippyyippy yoyo They need to keep up the illusion that we are not constantly spied on, of course. You pay for the survailance but don't get any of some possible benefits for society. It's the same thing with the tax-reports. As if the government couldn't find out who's to pay how much taxes in a system where almost all transactions are done electronically.
+yippyyippy yoyo Never mind the NSA, Tinder knows where you are at any given time.
Gal Dagon There's a difference. The NSA wants to fuck you and Tinder wants to help you fuck
+yippyyippy yoyo 'murica!
I am a 9-1-1 operator and this video is extremely validating for us in the service; we have sung this tune for years but the general public just doesn't know. Thank you for making this video, even four years later
thank you for the service you provide everyone.
It is insane...Here in europe we've been able to send pictures and text since 2014. Instant location finding via the AML system has also been a thing for a while now. How is it that AMERICA is THIS much behind
@@Akisame-LuigI-O Your entire continent is about 1/3 the size of america. It's easier to have better network coverage in smaller countries. Denser populations etc..
@@atarijawa462 Europe is actually slightly bigger than the US though (10.2 million sq km vs 9.8 million sq km) and European countries are roughly the same size as your eastern states. We are more densely populated though (about 1.5 times more people) with countries as the Netherlands taking the cake with a density of about 5 times California. France is about the same size as texas.
@@Akisame-LuigI-O America is much bigger than the united states.
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away"
Funny. But true.
Stay strapped
Maybe we could spend more money on 911 dispatchers rather than tanks for police forces.
+Furkan Turfanda or in my state a biblical sized ark replica and a biblical theme park. with state funded grants....cause "kentucky"
But tanks are cool, call centers are not
+james kalin how that tank gonna save you if they don't know where you are
+Furkan Turfanda Tanks save lives.
Gta style
that sketch at the end was amazing
+Serpher Hilarious
+Serpher That sketch was totally unrealistic!! The Pizzaguy came after the Dispatch!
+Serpher She is fucked! Totally fucked! :D :D :D
+Thomas Ben Hillary
+Nyt Mare They were keeping her hostage in the next room. She called the police but they got the wrong address and went to a brothel.
3:58 It's kinda weird to hear him dunk on at&t without doing the business daddy gag
Plz no
I GOT YOU BUISNESS DADDY
100% agree. Though I think that was from before the merger, I might be wrong on that though…I’ve watched so many and they all start to blend together lol
@@JjBb-sr1ln Yeah it wasn't announced at the time. It was made official on Oct 22 2016.
Love it.
Fun Fact: Butt-dialing 9-1-1 is an unintended consequence of federally-mandated dialing when the digit "9" is held down. Another Fun Fact: "Nine-one-one" can no longer be taught as "nine-eleven" because, in an emergency, too many callers wasted precious time looking for the "eleven button."
DashCamAndy The. Eleven. Button.
Another fun fact. Every disconnected old phone can still call 911 so don't give it to your kid to play with.
Okay, anyone looking for the 11 button deserves to die. No arguments.
@@lazyhomebody1356 what if they want to call to help someone elso, though?
@@Jannyl13 You got me there!
Damn, those automated robot 911 voices are terrifying....
Like calling the devil
+matthew natividad you got the direct line? apparently it's a secret number or smthn'...
+Felix Kütt wat
matthew natividad a joke. "like calling the devil".
Felix Kütt o right
Maybe they should put fire departments next to pizza joints - they can follow the delivery guy.
😂😂😂
+Ben Stahr - "911 what's your emergency?" - "Help me I'm having a heart attack!" - "Please hang up and order a pizza from your Domino's Pizza App, and a delivery guy will be right away, followed by our first responders." Seriously though if 911 are finally upgrade to IP, they COULD have better integrations with smartphones, so that once you call 911 they get your GPS coords, and even accelerometer data (helps figuring it immediately if someone is running, before the call even starts, for example).
+Ben Stahr Just order Pizza, and hope that, for a big tip, the delivery-guy takes you to the ER
Reminds me of a Jimmy Johns radio ad where a guy called Jimmy Johns because his house was on fire and the sandwich delivery guys showed up and got the fire out before the fire dept.
+Ben Stahr "Hi, I'd like a big American style, extra pepperoni, hold the olives. And can I get the police escort delivery please?"
That Shanel Anderson call still gives me chills. I was training at the Cherokee County 911 center the night that happened. She was in Cherokee but her call was routed to a cell tower in a neighboring jurisdiction, so it went to them and her phone had already disconnected by the time they let us know. You can hear the water coming into her car in the recording. Since I was listening in on the Fire radio that night, I was one of the first few people to know that she was pronounced brain dead and was not going to make it. That call is one of the reasons I left 911 before I finished training. The first time I watched this segment, I had a panic attack after listening to that call because I wasn't expecting it.
She was my best friend in college and this video is how I found out she passed. I get you.
It was a freak combination of things that lead to her not being found in time. The road she was on was less than 100 yards from the county line and the road was stupidly named (The Fairway is the main drag for the neighborhood of the same name she was delivering papers in). I don't know if this has changed since it's been a few years, but at the time, the maps at 911 wouldn't show or register locations outside your jurisdiction which is why the operator in the neighboring county could not find the intersection she was at. They did realize that the cross street, Batesville Rd, went into Cherokee so they got the call to us quickly and we got Fire and police dispatched to her in less than 5 mins. We were even on Google maps in the call center looking for bodies of water near her location so we could get them to her as quick as possible. They did revive her at the scene but we were advised when they got her to the hospital that she wouldn't wake up. I think of that night every time I drive past where it happened. I'm so sorry you lost your friend and that this segment was how you found out. I hope this helps you to know that the responders really did do everything they could, they just got slowed down by the stupid phone system 💕
@@AryaTheTerrorTabby Thank you 💓
She was on the line for almost 20 minutes and terrified and was being taunted and told to quit being a cry-baby, told to wait they were getting to her and that she wasn’t going to die, to stop exaggerating, and a whole lot more that was beyond disgusting. The actual call and what dispatchers and others who claim to have heard the call in real-time say happened don’t match up…or even come remotely close. Add the body-cam (audio mostly) from the cops that responded to the call and it’s a script for a literal horror movie.
FYI, if you have an iPhone you can ask Siri “Where am I?” And she will give you an approximate address and your exact latitude and longitude (GPS coordinates).
That's good to know
I've just asked my Google Assistant that and she could only tell me the name of the city I'm in. Maybe I should better consult Waze...
Mine just gave me the wrong address.
@@Thenoobestgirl I don't remember the specifics, but Google Maps should be able to give you your latitude and longitude. You can use latitude and longitude to navigate, so it clearly has them programmed in. edit: I went ahead and learned it. Placing a red pin (press and hold on the map) shows the latitude and longitude of the pin in the search bar at the top.
I think mines broken. I got the wrong address.
Was it me or did John Miller look suspiciously like Donald Trump???
+KettleCornPop 13 www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-alter-ego-barron/2016/05/12/02ac99ec-16fe-11e6-aa55-670cabef46e0_story.html
Well, some years ago Trump's PR man is Trump calling himself John Miller
+Simon Arnerich lol
I'm going to guess you are a troll...
+KettleCornPop 13 He is mocking Trump for Posing as His Own Publicist
Is anything important in this country EVER well funded and kept up to date with proper equipment? Fucking hell man
do politician health plans and salaries count?
+kimplin Yes. The NSA surveillance of private citizens and the militarization of the police. Oh wait...you said important. In that case, no.
+resurgam167 Don't forget a cool trillion (and counting) for the F-35!
Joe Baker aren't we ending that program?
The military! Wait... you said important. Nevermind. Bring on the hate, fuckers! If you support 54% of our money being thrown at the military, I don't really respect your judgement or opinions anyways!
Just did the google understaffed 911 dispatcher in my area in 2023, tons of recent articles about shortages, it hasn't got any better in 6 years.
2:44 This sobering moment reminds me of the Rehab episode, “Remember the funny guy who didn’t like horses? He died, too.”
I literally just got finished watching that episode 🥺🥺
"What's your emergency?" "I'm on the toilet! I'm done!" Props to that operator for not laughing at that.
+Brainstormer623 well we don't know what call he received right before or what he was expecting to come after the call with the kid. remember the opening story about the lady drowning because they couldn't find her on the map?
+Brainstormer623 Fortunately we can mute the receiver when we need to laugh, cuss, or make fun of you.
Trollaukinn That sounds like the funnest part of the job.
That's why dispatchers, and all people working on phones, have a mute button. :P Mute then laugh your ass off. lol
Freakazoid If only life had something like that. It would make mocking people so much more fun.
As a 911 operator myself I can 100% relate with this piece. How we are in the year 2016 and still can't get a pinpoint location on a cell phone call is beyond me.....we can only hope that as technology progresses the communication centers also upgrade their systems
Star Trek Theory Like you said you have some training and that information you gave is important. But, so is the caller information like your name and callback number. What happens if the call gets disconnected and they don't have your call back number? How are they supposed to get update info then?
Star Trek Theory To get tracked? You're bugging
+Justin my friend used a cellphone near a school when we had to call. We told them the name of the school. I'm pretty sure they used gps to find the location though.
+Star Trek Theory actually that's legit. You're not obligated to tell anyone who you are. You're allowed to call anonymously.
Star Trek Theory you're definitely not obligated to do so. when me and my firne had to call for an emergency we only described that we llooked like but not our names.
And now another episode of John Oliver telling me everything is broken.
"It took first responders nearly 20 minutes." Meanwhile in Scotland a woman calls the police after a car accident, and they didn't get to her within three days. She died.
For a very long time, my dream was to move to the U.S., but after I started to watch Last Week Tonight, I think I'd rather stay in Europe.
Good for you... we might want to pack our bags to Europe.
Yar Nunya lol true
The thing is Europe is not much better. It's just a matter of having the right informations.
As a Canadian, you would have to pay me a fair amount to move to the US. I'm not especially fond of Canada but I have seen enough of the US in person to not want to live there. When I compare ourselves to the rest of the western world, well, I think we got it pretty good all things considered.
Romano onamoR - I could say the same for America. The thing is you know more about your country than... well another country's. Just like me, I know Sweden more than America and therefor think it's better
Every time I see one of these videos, I am horrified.
+beau ly mortified too..
+beau ly This kind of thing is true of any service you pay for but hope you never have to use. Most folks don't realize how bad their medical insurance was before Obamacare because they never actually had cancer or renal failure. And will your life insurance policy really pay out? Not your problem, is it?
+beau ly the US is falling apart, you people need some serious wealth distribution and social justice.
suxcesss Did you ironically choose two labels that would doom any such initiative to completely and utter failure? We need to fix the capital gains tax, create a new upper level tax bracket, cut spending on military acquisitions (aircraft carriers, stealth bombers, etc), and increase spending on national infrastructure projects (building roads and bridges) See - I advocated the same thing as you without providing the knee-jerk gong. ;-)
***** nice
3:57 I can confirm this is true. I literally stand by my window anytime I need to make a call and it usually still doesn’t work
There was a car accident outside my house and I called 911, they couldn’t figure out where I was, then I told them never mind the police has just pulled up and they said there were no police in my area.....I think about that a lot, I have a young kid and I hope she never needs help cause i know it won’t arrive quickly.
Thats terrifying....a police officer was pulling up, and they told you they weren't in the area. For two reasons, option A, the option i suggest we both go along with and never question. Option b, the dispatcher was right, and im not going to elaborate further for both of our piece of mind
@@mechengr1731 Dispatchers only have info on police that they dispatch for, so I would guess an officer not belonging to the department the dispatcher worked for was talking to her. Though not sure why they couldn't find her if she just gave them her address.
Oh man that woman in the car crash breaks my heart, She was so very much alive, and she was scared, and I wish they had found her in time :(
Same, yo. That's just tragic.
Like she literally would have had a better chance if she tried to get out by herself
Why is the FCC logo literally just the Comedy Central logo with an F?
@@mint7442 do you think she didnt try to get out?
@@stephengrigg5988 no I’m just saying that they were so useless that she had as good if not a better chance, it was 7 months ago so I don’t remember exactly what was going through my head but I’m pretty sure it’s a joke
youve earned my respect you angry screeming tea ketle
Chris Hubble Nooo...he’s the funny bird man.
*screaming
*kettle
Tea kettles already scream, adding screaming to the description is redundant.
dude, that was just the thing I needed to laugh my ass off
Thing is, there isn't a 911 app... the call center can only use the phone network infrastructe and find the cell tower you are using. The Domino App has the entire layer of tools that can grab GPS information and everything else. So the trick is to make an 911 app that can become standardized, maybe even make it obligatory on all phones sold in the US.
Thats a perfect solution. If you dial 911 it automatically opens the app, turns on location and wifi services to get the quickest most accurate fix on location then sends that immediately to the closest dispatch center. Maybe even use the camera(s) to get a better idea of what is going on in that certain situation. Could be very useful for crimes in progress as well as medical emergencies to show the extent of the persons person's condition.
@@JaredConnell good idea, and since big brother is already watching... No need to think about privacy issues
@@miyabe_k195 There are times people care about their privacy. Right after dialing 911 is not one of those times. You're panicking and in need of immediate help, everything the phone tells them is something you don't need to. Of course, when you're *not* on the line with 911, that app shouldn't transmit anything to anyone ever.
This is EXACTLY what I was thinking during this whole video 😁👍
@@miyabe_k195 You need the app (you as in USA) it should not be required to have it though! If you value your privacy higher than your life, you should be allowed to take the chance, a lot of times they can still find you fine, and if not - well ... I am sure you will die happy knowing that at least you didn't give up your privacy the one place it was actually worth it.
7 years later, i would love an update. It would be amazing to have regular follow-up shows... and to see what has worked to realize changes
That AT&T joke was not exaggerated. I have it so I should know.
D:
AT&T has never failed me. Am I part of a small percentage?
+LelLaden that is true. A decade ago we had issues in New York with several different carriers, including AT&T and Verizon, and people not being able to get a signal despite calling 911 repeatably. In one case they simply drowned on the boat that was sinking in the bay during winter, thus a group of people died despite their efforts. Even if they had a signal, New York's 911 system is of dubious reputation and I'm not sure how they would of tracked these people down.
+LelLaden I travel across half the US multiple times a year. Only place I've had bad service is BFE New Mexico and west Texas. Deserts, basically.
+roque816snchz I always had those issues with Sprint.
It broke my heart when he played the recorded messages you may hear, because I actually experienced the Memphis one first hand when my brother was, stabbed 5 years, ago. Lucky he survived.
I'm so sorry. That must have been terrifying.
I got a recording recently while I was driving my roommate to the ER cuz she was having a seizure. Someone finally picked up and they couldn't even give me general directions to the ER, even though I gave them my exact location! Turns out I was 2 blocks away the ENTIRE TIME. My roommate's fine, no thanks to 911.
*sighs in relief*
Zinc McMan learn to use commas
+Zinc I'm sorry :( I wish I could walk into those stations and just freely offer to record those things, with a friendly voice.
At the end you said Maine is good but i live in Maine and a house burned to the ground. That house was right next to a fire station.
Maybe nobody called
How can they not notice a house burning down NEXT DOOR
Was it a paid fire department, or volunteer?
"Contact a medical professional if you experience a wait time longer than four hours." WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO lmao
Imagine calling up your general practitioner, "hey man, the 911 robot told me to call you" "Really? What's wrong? Have you broken a bone or something?" "Nah, I've been stabbed three times, thing you could help me out?" "..."
In Denmark we have an app for our "911" which will send gps coordinates... super simple and works.. it doesn't really have to be so fancy to be useful
+mynamebestname they have that for many states in the US as well, but it doesnt really help the point of Oliver's weekly message of "the US is shit" to include things that go against what he is complaining about.
+mynamebestname Same in Finland.
+mynamebestname but since for americans, socialism is evil, they dont have shit like that.
+sharpfang667 Given that people are needlessly dying as a result of other states overlooking these issues, it's probably not all that important to mention the states that have it together.
That's because it's Denmark. In the usa they are too busy trying to "fix" other countries and enforcing their "democracy" on other countries who DONT need it, instead of fixing their own shit
So basically when in danger I should order a pizza? "Yes, with cheese crust and please call 911!"
DontTrustTheRabbit j
OMFG TRIXIIIIIIIIII
This actually happened before and saved a woman’s life. She used the dominoes app and Wrote call police on the special instructions
Trixie
Trixi, you rock on that one! Hope Germany's 110 is better than that
Is kinda embarrassed to know that pizza and uber can find u better than something as important as 911..this just blow my mind...thank you Mr Oliver and team for bringing this issue to light.
I'm watching this after for years, the joke on racist statues is so relevant today. So ahead of its time.
You must be an AT&T user..
Maybe they ought to make 911 an app. That way, you have the option to open internet access, and they can find you.
Blackout Runner And they should give Internet access from all providers free to everyone who can't afford that 4G service just only for the time 911 service is being used, not anytime else. Unless you think they can get to a free WiFi spot and really free Voip or give GPS over ride permission to the government and police that many wouldn't trust. Face it, there is no funding for these vulnerable people who can't afford these options and most politicians and many people will not offer to give this lifesaving option to the poorest for free. Hell, they defunded, diverted 911 funds across the board, and let it stay dangerously outdated. Why would they stop that and then give more money to fix and update the service on their end first? And the only way the working poor or under poverty line could have that reliable 911 locating tech on their phone is by funding, giving the necessary phones with GPS, app or whatever that overrides GPS if shut off, and if by Voip, providing free Internet access through the phone carrier company, even if only to be used for the 911 app or service use. Being poor means you don't deserve the same level of 911 safety as others? I think we should fix this for everyone immediately but it will take a ridiculous amount of funding and legislative backing. And given they're stripping funds out anyway, I don't see them pulling a 911 Scrooge conversion. They may even play the angle that if you let 911 override your GPS settings or pop onto the Internet that the lifesaving tools are a way for the "guberment and police to use your phone to constantly track and record you." Tis the Era of tapping into fake news tin foil hat conspiracy theories to rile up and use to vote for a party candidate's real political agenda and let the people vote against their own best interests flamed on over a BS fake conspiracy. "Pappy died on the floor because we refuse to spend the money to make our 911 services even decent but ain't no way them cops are fooling me into tracking and recording me on my phone with that 911 safe app!!! Infowars showed me! It's what Pappy would've said too. Besides aren't they happy with their free 'BamaPhones I saw on Fox news? Why should I pay for them to have safe 911 too? Everyone wants a gimme. Even life saving public health services. No Pappy couldn't afford to get reliable 911 without help, but he saw those news and lay here 7 hours before they found our land and died with dignity not no big brother gimme!" All I can do is share my opinions, research well, call my elected legislation and major phone carriers, and really fight for policy and vote in my local and state elections. Honestly that is all 1 person can do. But if enough of us 1 people do that we can actually facilitate change for good. Look at how we defund, grossly under pay, and neglect and disrespect the arguably most important careers in our society? Teachers, law enforcement, firefighters, military veterans, laborers, research scientists and many more. These people are the very foundation of our society and future and we show them by paying them what in comparison to a stock broker or real estate agent? You can't expect compassion for the poor when you see how we even treat our pillars. I am very worried that we are too complacent and apathetic but please prove me wrong and do your part too. Have a good day
Yeah like now on most phones, if you don't have a sim card you can still call emergency numbers. They should do that with internet, even if you don't have 4G or a wifi spot you can get access to limited 4g within the app
And no mandatory updates.
We have that in Czech republic.Which is really small and poor country in middle of Europe.
And no ads on the app!
"I don't know we made brownies. And I think we're dead. Time is going by really really really really slow." Funniest thing I've read in a while. Would it go on a t shirt?
Youngstown ohio
Yeh but the voice was waaaay too straight; didn't even sound like he'd drank a beer well enough eaten a mess of Toklas brownies.
It was a cop who took weed home and made the brownies he was fired after the incident
slappy mcgee Best thing was after that, he called a little later, “What’s the score of the Redwings game?” Apparently, he thought he had hallucinated a different score.
I was about to say those brownies must have had that "spice" in them.
"4 out of 5 times, it works EVERY TIME"
Working as a 9-1-1 dispatcher it's always the 1 out of 5 times I need it to work most when it doesn't. Wish it wasn't like that but 9-1-1 is the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to public safety.
3:57 John Oliver, ruining AT&T before it became John Oliver's boss
*business daddy
Well he sure wasn't going to do it After 😁
The Mighty Sparrow - He still does..😂
Comedian Bill Engvall once made a joke about what if 911 was automated and worked like customer lines "please say your emergency" "I've been shot" "I heard stabbed, have you been stabbed" and I thought it was a funny joke, but the fact that prerecorded automated responses to 911 calls actually exists is troubling
Humanoid25 the next time you or someone else complains about paying taxes, just remind them of that. Dispatchers want to help everyone. But we literally can’t afford to sometimes
Simpsons did that years ago lol
It would be a good idea tho for situations where the caller can’t talk without alerting an attacker? Like a hostage in a bank robbery or a domestic violence victim? I’ve seen videos where victims are trying desperately to communicate a problem to a 911 operator while trying to be quiet or making it sound like a pizza order or something and luckily in many cases the 911 operator gets the hint and sends help. But it would be great if you could, say punch in keys instead of answering (hit one for yes two for no?) And I’m not sure if it exists but an ability to contact or communicate with 911 via text seems important.
@@Mugruncher every blue moon, I have a nightmare like this. A life threatening situation where I'm able to get away from the attacker for a brief moment to dial 911. Then they either don't answer, place me on hold, or hang up/ drop call. Then I silently pray they picked up specific location and altered first responders (police). Then it flips where attacker is back, breaking down or through the door. Thank goodness these dreams are few and far between. 🤦🏽♀️🥺🤷🏽♀️
There should be a 911 app that is a REQUIRED thing for all phones sold in the US, with accurate location access when you use it
The thing is that people wouldn't want it because they'd think that the app wanting their location would be too intrusive.
So people who don’t have smartphones are just screwed
@@Jenny-tm3cm I don't think an app would replace the call center. Really, the solution would be to make it a part of the operating system, not an app. And yes, both solutions don't help unless you have a smart phone because flip phones cannot determine your location
Having a federally required app is a severe intrusion of privacy, even if the intentions are completely honorable. I think a better solution is to create a infrastructure where you can 1. Text 911, 2. Use the keypad that other calls can use (1 for english, 2 for spanish, etc) to relay some information, and 3. Of course, provide 911 with location access, preferably through a settings toggle ahead of time, but still, provide location data
@@James-jh6wq built in app.
I’m a journalism student and one day I was going through some public records in the county looking for story ideas. I came across one about a woman whose husband had passed out at home so she called 911 because she wasn’t there to help him. The dispatcher forgot to mention to the EMS that he might have been incapacitated so they left when no one answered the door. I was blocked from asking any questions about it, but it was so crucial to make people aware.
I know it only helps when your home but in the state of Louisiana we have a "smart 911" program. It makes you put your home address in, asks about your building like gas locations, water etc... As well as medical conditions. They pull it up with your phone number you call with. It makes me feel a little bit safer.
"Houston 911 operator hung up on hundreds of callers, prosecutor says", is one of the headlines. Great.
Yep. It happened in a New England area too. This job isn't for everyone and it's incredibly short staffed Nationwide. Some people crack under the pressure. Unfortunately, there's really no way to know unless the person is obvious about it. Also for context, larger areas take a massive volume of calls. I typically answer 200 to 300 911 calls a day.
David Johnson I wonder what they can do to get more callers? Maybe raising the pay or adding some extra benefits to the job? But make it so you only get them after the first year or two to avoid bad hires?
Combat veterans, retired nurses, injured firefighters and anyone who's ever dealt with a two-year old. Y'know, people who've already proven they can go through hell and back.
"Houston, we have a prob-" *Click* "sigh, not dealing with that today."
She was charged and I think found guilty. She was also fired.
I live in Canada, but one time my brother was breathing heavily and holding his chest. I thought he was having a heart attack so I called 911. If he had really been having a heart attack, I would have been stuck at home, doing CPR for 3 hours. I called them 4 times and they were saying they didn't have enough ambulances. Go figure. My brother is fine now and what he had was a psychosis episode, but it just scares the shit out of me, to think that if something horrible were to happen, we'd most likely die.
@Kate Yara I understand that you were upset and it was a tense situation, but I'll suggest taking a class on first aid; the Red Cross organises them, among others, and it's about as good a use of a weekend as I can think of. One of the things they teach you is that the moment a dispatch center confirms that there is an emergency, they send the relevant services; they keep asking questions, because every question they ask is one the first responders won't have to. The time that saves can make all the difference.
Just last month there was a carbon monoxide leak in my house and 911 said that they didn’t have the equipment to detect CO and all that so we had to call DTE
@Kate Yara those kind of questions might not seem important at the time but dispatchers need to know what is happening so they know what kind of help to send. Just answer the questions instead of arguing.
Yikes, sorry you had to go through that.
Siathuan not everyone can know what a heart attack is...people HAVING heart attacks often don’t realize it
*cries in 10-Code* Lol no but really, Dispatchers/Call-Takers everywhere are grateful for this. Thank you LWT!
I live in MO and I feel like my state is always on John Oliver’s maps
Merge 911 and NSA. Then they will know where you are long before you call. Oh and who you are, what you are doing, what your call history is and who you e-mail.
You wont have to call, they will know you are in trouble before you yourself know.
+Strazdas 😱😱😱😂😂😂😂😂😂
And thus, the plot for Minority Report was born.
"You are being watched..."
+tsbrownie -- Actually, when you get into trouble -- THEY'D call you first. Car driver swerves to avoid a dog and hits a tree... Ring, ring... *dazed driver* finds and answers his mobile phone: "Yes? Hello?" "This is the New 911 -- looks like you need some help. Just letting you know that we're on the way." "Wow! Thanks, New 911" "Don't thank us just yet. Sensors show you were playing 'Pokemon Go' while driving. We're resetting you back to Level 1 as a punishment. Good night!" --- Young lady walking alone... Ring, ring... "Hello?" "This is the new 911 -- Turn around now. Don't go down that street any further." "Huh. Why not?" "We can see 2 men in the shadows waiting to rob you -- or worse." "Gee, thanks, New 911" "You're Welcome. Oh, and call your mother... her last text to you sounded like she's worried about you." "Uh, ok. I will..." "Miss, while I've got you on the phone... you should stop dating Paul. We've decided he's not good enough for you." "Wha?" "One sec... [computer keys clicking] Yea, a quick analysis of Paul's e-mail traffic with his friends shows that he's only 43% interested in you." "Wow. I didn't know you guys could do that." "Just one of our new services. Good night!"
John Oliver, our savior
...what?
+Trollaukinn They said: "JOHN OLIVER, OUR SAVIOR
PRAISE BE
+Tokin Taylor If he was, then he would push for Bernie Sanders to be the next U.S president :(
+Tokin Taylor He is like the new John Stewart
That joke about cities having a ridiculous number of statues of someone racist aged well...
Fine wine
Why is the FCC logo literally just the Comedy Central logo with an F?
Because I'd assume Comedy Central thought it be funny
The inner C of CC is backwards
cuz it’s a joke 🤗
Wait what you can't text your emergency operators in the states... you know deaf people exist right?
Oh, shit, how do deaf people access 911? I feel so awful that I never wondered that before. Gonna go find out!
Crap, I didn't even think about that.
I don't know if you can do that here in Australia either? I've never heard of it.
The majority aren't totally deaf. They can easily tell someone else to call 9-1-1 for them.
Default Name what if they’re alone?
I searched "understaffed 911 dispatch" and my town and all I got were articles about John Oliver.
"We just don't have the technology." "Pizza's here!" "Shit, get out!" Best line behind the flames licking my body Rob is a genius of comedy
Want to make it even more freaky? In NY EMS is not considered an essential service. That means that in a state of emergency the ambulances are not coming.
He did a story on EMS too.
Scariest thing I've ever heard was in High School and my Programming teacher (he used to work at a dispatch) said that while in office he got a call from a drunk woman who accidentally fell in a fire. He said that when it happened she was screaming, and then the call just went silent. Freaky stuff right there man.
holy crap
Wait, hold on!!! So she had enough time to whip out her phone to call 911 while in a "fire"? If she was smart enough, she would pull herself out THEN call for help. But she was intoxicated sooooo yeah.
+graywolf723 I mean it doesn't sound like there was anything he could of done. One of my friends moms apparently knows someone who was just sitting in the back seat of car on the high way when all of a sudden a biplane crashed into them and chopped the girl next to him into pieces.
+Jackie chan_WTF she was drunk noones "smart" when they are drunk
+SNOW SOS that's absolutely insane. that's fucking cray. holy shit.
In Denmark we have that GPS app, developed by the emergency line. we also have an app that displays all AED kits close to you.
karsten69 beautiful
Same in Finland, we have that app and even when people can't use mobile data they can check their GPS cordinates and tell them over a regular phone call. It isn't 100% accurate, but apparently helps a lot also when trying to locate a person who has gotten lost.
Many areas of the US have that AED app. It will also alert first responders when they are near by and a need for CPR arises.
We should do that everywhere
Same for the Netherlands. We also have an app for civilians licensed in CPR (part of first aid course) who'll get notified if there's a heart attack in the neighborhood and can opt to go there; the ones who'll accept will either get directed to the patient or the nearest AED (and then to the patient) via a routeplanner like Google Maps (and you can choose your mode of transport) so that CPR can be started as soon as possible and emergency services will take over when they arrive. On average, these civilians arrive 2.5 minutes earlier than emergency services. There are over 225.000 civilians registered for the app and the number keeps growing (it was about 170.000 two years ago).
In Australia we have 000 and it's free even if your phone is flat or don't have a sim card in it. Emergency services have changed over the years in Australia. I remember the first time that I had to call and there was a 1 minute wait (it feltl longer as Iwas 17 and my boyfriend was overdoseing) but that was 20 years ago. FYI- he survived, dead now but survived that night.
I tried looking up, "understaffed 911 dispatch," for my town and a list of my state's local dispatch center's annual employee salaries came up, (which is $57,114.52/ year BTW👍) Fortunately no headlines about understaffed 911 dispatch though.
I was about to sleep... Then I got a notification
+Mitchell Lazarow sleep is for the weak
+Amrit lmao ikr
+Mitchell Lazarow Exactly the same man.
That's exactly how I got here. Getting into bed, checking phone one last time... ooooo, John Oliver made another video!
Rebecca Jeane Is stuff is so good, we must stay up just a little longer.
I was hoping for 9/11
Me too
Fuck Canada, USA will annex you by 2078.
+Sanctions for Russia aw man. 2078 was supposed to be a good year for me
#WeTheNorth
+JM4 Exactly what Osama said
2:22 WHEN SHE CAREENED INTO THIS POND *splish splash sound effect*
10:15 That's us!! Wilmington, NC. We're notorious for the 911 call-waiting message/recording. Actually made the news a little ways back.
Several year ago a ambulance came to my house because the man a block away was having a heart attack. They were late and he died
Alyssa P Same thing happened near me. They got the address wrong and the address was on the other side of the county.......
Alyssa P same thing happened to me they brought the whole squad.... for someone that was 3 miles away.... never found out what happened
Alyssa P once my gramma was like dying and the ambulance passed the restaurant we were in, luckily she is alive and the staff took the proper measures to help her
It's so heartbreaking listening to that 911 call and learning those were her last words.
+thenorwegian76 Yeah but he wrapped it up with a nice little joke, so everyone can laugh about it. Isn't television great :)
+homegrownbuddy I mean the internet makes 9/11 and holocaust jokes on an hourly basis. It's not really limited to television bud.
Well John.. I really need an update on this as we’re getting closer to 2021.. Please let something positive be for us as 2020 seems like 3 years rolled into one..🤦♀️
I think at some point LWT should start following up and seeing if any changes were made to the issue
Being able to text 911 would be great, my friend was in a situation were her brother was drunk and beating up her younger sister, her brother was telling her to not move, she could of texted 911 in 4 seconds but had to sit there and wait until her brother left and her sister was unconscious. Thankfully her brother was arrested and her sister is fine.
That is a brilliant idea. I hope she and your friend will be ok.
have*
Isn't there a text service though? for deaf people ?
Yes. Yes. This is /exactly/ the situation in New York City and Jersey City and Newark. As a 911 Dispatcher in Jersey City, I cry and weep at how accurate this video is. I wish that it was anything more than a parody. That my brother, as a cop, doesn't need to deal with 911 call takers and dispatchers not being able to locate him. That my family, who have lived in this city for over 60 years, doesn't need to deal with it. We're still on XP. We're still working with an interface through Internet Explorer. We're still dealing with a CAD system that isn't even /supported/ by the developers anymore. We're dealing with computer systems that break on a weekly, if not daily, basis. John Oliver. Thank you for pointing out the faults in the system. Maybe you'll bring about a change. I can hope so, at least. Because it's not just the lives it'd save in the public, it's the lives it'd save in the first responders and the cops too. Hopefully someone in Jersey City's government will see this.
Being drunk makes this video makes it so much better.
Oh shit, I just got to the part where the girl died!!!
Back in the old days, there was a service/protocol called ISDN, which could transmit digital data along with voice calls. It would be pretty easy to implement something like this in GSM and CDMA networks where a cell phone sends location coordinates along with the voice when calling an emergency number.
Would that not create a backdoor that could be hacked/manipulated to gain access to your location?
On that Matthew MccOnaughey joke, I'd like to add at the end: "and you'll be... alright alright alright "
As a 911 dispatcher, most of us are desperately underpaid and often our equipment is less than optimum. We also have a pretty serious problem with employee turnover.
If someone gives the cross streets....how can they not find that? Its called Google Maps
Some 911 centers don't have internet access in the dispatch room. Also Google can be wrong too. So what happens if you call.from a recently built street that isn't in Google yet? Your county has that subdivision plan and draws into the CAD system.
Google works with satellite pictures so it is fairly unlikely that google will not be up to date
sadly, street signs don't always match up to the maps that the call/dispatch centers have. that unfortunate woman ran into some really bad luck.
I work at a pizza delivery business. I get customers giving me cross streets all the time, but without an address how can you find them when they're in a house. Or if they are in a building with multiple floors. And if they are out side, if they're not standing up waving they're arms it would be hard to spot someone. And it could be nighttime, raining, snowing, or crowded, which would make it hard to spot someone. That doesn't even account for streets that are oddly shaped. I work in the major part of a downtown area and I can tell you that without a full address, finding someone is close to impossible.
@@labj143 not related to the subject, but how do you guys handle the virus?
Learning block numbers can be quite useful. Also learning the alpha code can be quite useful.
I love John Oliver. he's the guy who tells you everything is BS and actually proves to you why.
+Rex Umbra > proves > 911 can't track you right to the centimeter you're standing that's an epidemic Glad you fall for outrage mongering.
That skit at the end had me rollin
Were they hating?
+Killer Memestar gnome
John forgot to say “Alright, Alright, Alright” on McConaughey 🤣
Maine has a really good state-wide system?!! That's so dope! I'm from Maine, & let me tell ya, that's one of the few things we get right. That & awesome pot. Maine proud, baby!
the gwinnett ga 911 dispatch center has had people on hold for more then 10 mins there notoriously underfunded
***** Yup, call pizza hut they'll probably get to your home faster
Barrow is almost as bad and is no where near the size of Gwinnett.
Oh, shit, Barrow county. That place is a hole. No offense.
+DrgnFlys maybe the police where you live, but the majority of police officers do their jobs flawlessly. And according to stats, police officers actually deal with these the most: - Mental health - traffic stops - assistance Drugs are not a huge part of policing. Most of it is just making sure everyone is okay, and ensuring community safety.
+DrgnFlys drugs are a social and medical problem. Not criminal. Educate, medicate and never incarcerate.
Sarah Connor was put on hold when she called 911 from Tech Noir in 1984 to report that a mysterious stranger was following her, so this is not a new problem.
+tubeyhamster Back then, the idea of being put on hold was a humorous trope because it wasn't happening so often. Now, it's common. You can always expect to be put on hold.
+Author Alys B. Cohen I have never been put on hold when I have dialed 911.
+tubeyhamster well then that means it must never happen. just because you, alone, have never been on hold. #problemswithtodayssociety
+tubeyhamster Best comment ever!
Where are you, Alys b. Cohen? Is this commonly understood in your county / town? Is there no outrage? I'm really curious. And Tubeyhamster - has it happened to you, or people you have talked to? When 911 was first automated it was absolutely unthinkable that people would be put on hold. The inventor of it told jurisdictions, "I don't care how long it takes you to answer, its your citizens who are calling - I should think you would choose to answer as quickly as you can!" He couldn't imagine that cities would stiff its people by not having enough dispatchers.
One time a friend of mines gf called 911 in Detroit for a car accident that was pretty bad and they put her on hold.
When I was a foreign exchange student (15 at the time) in Texas I got so freaked out when i missed my school bus on the day of the test that I decided for some reason call 911. the amazing part is that they did send a car and 2 cops dropped me off at school! Now when I think about it, I feel terrible for wasting their time, but at the time I was convinced that me missing a test was an emergency. They were super nice, though
How bad is it that I read it as "nine eleven"
Kae Rae that's why and when it originated
9/11 was called that because it happened on the 9th month, 11th day not because they fucking called 9-11. Let's get real.
@Tekno Ninja you are mentally handicapped if you think 9/11 originated 911.
Same
*facepalm*
maybe we should outsource 911 to pizza hut?
+Ks Knight Great Idea! we can send law enforcement with pizza riding with Uber straight to wherever you are, then the uber can give you a ride either home or to the nearest hospital!
DugFin2 yea but they will still be there before the police right?..
Send the police in the uber, so yes
+Ks Knight haha wrote my comment before i saw yours!
The pizza example is only partially true. When you place the call through the conventional phone system, Pizza Hut and Dominos are only really able to find your location that easily, when you are a regular customer and their system recognizes the match of your phone number and address that they already have on file. When you are a first time customer, you still have to provide your address. If you order through their apps, it is a different story, as the apps can access your GPS information.
I've only "butt dialed" 911 once - and it happened when I was asleep, with my phone on the floor three feet from me. My poor mom talked to the cop (who was really nice) and explained that I was a) sleeping and b) disabled. He said he unfortunately needed to confirm my welfare with me specifically, so I presented myself, confirmed what my mom told him, and then we talked about why the hell it happened. I can't remember much, but he did say that sometimes the signals just get crossed weird and that happens semi-frequently. Bizarre way to be woken up with, for sure!
So, I have to say, those 3 kids at the end are totally future Hollywood royalty! To be able to act so sad around a happy puppy, that's Shakespearean levels of skill!
Maybe censor the ad better and put it as a real ad on TV in a prime-time slot
THIS.
+Peet Janse van Vuuren HBO is a real TV network... www.hbo.com/schedule Last week tonight plays on Mondays and Thursdays.
I meant on other networks as well so that the word can spread even more
+Peet Janse van Vuuren Why would HBO put its content on others' networks?
+Zombie Ducklings Might direct traffic to Last Week Tonight, just like any other ad.
Anyone else click because they thought it was 9/11?
yep, I wanted to see him Sat "explosions before the attacks". ugh.
Yep 😕
I thought he was going to talk about the conspiracy theory
Imagine if John would do a segment debunking the conspiracy theories, that would be glorious
yep
This story definitely deserves and update since it's been over 6 years and with the COVID-19 pandemic, I'd like to know if this has reverted or made any progress.
136 butt-dials?you don't deserve a phone at that point
'Thank you for calling Domino's. How can I help you?' 'I'M TRAPPED IN A BURNING BUILDING. CAN YOU CALL 911 AND TELL THEM WHERE I AM?' 'Okay Mr.. Got you covered. Shall they bring a pizza?' 'WHATEVER YOU WANT GUYS!' Like this?
What.
Scott, notice the word TRAPPED, then rethink your reply.
What the hell is trapped? Peter Freuchen made an icepick out of his own frozen excrement to free himself from an ice cave. You aren't trying to break yourself out. You're giving up. Unless its the slowest burning fire in history that is a very stupid and lazy thing to do.
Ice and fire are 2 very different things, one you can hit, THE OTHER FILPPEN BURNS WHEN YOU TOUCH IT. When you are trapped in a building, fire on all sides, and you cant get out, then what are you gonna do? Crap into the fire and put it out because you ate tacobell the day before? No, you will call for help and try to stay safe till saved.
You're forgetting multiple things when it comes down to a burning building, specially on USA 1 most buildings on USA are made of wood or have various inflammable objects or surfaces on them 2 most times the heat gets so high is impossible to breath and there's huge amounts of smoke that, makes it even harder to breath 3 even if it is the slowest burning fire in history which, i highly doubt, is still fucking fire, if you stand closer you can get third degree burns in seconds, and not only that, but his cloths could set on fire too making it even worst to him, yes he can drop and roll, but he's that won't help when there's multiple fire sources
"The flamesssss, they're lickin' my bodyyyy" - Priceless
911 operators. Unsung heroes in my book. Thank you for your service 911 operators.
John Oliver is so friggin excellent❗
Was that first automated message an evil robot that murdered all the dispatchers and that's why no one could answer the phone?
They should make an app... that let's you select fire, medical or police. And the app automatically send your personal info like name adress and age, your blood type and everything.. oh and your location. You know, skip out the middle man all together. Let the computer work it out.
Sounds good but in many medical cases (like child birth, first aid or reanimation) a middle man is often required
Also you need a middle man because most of the times ambulances aren't needed. You need a doctor to assess the situation and decide what should be done.
That actually exists in Belgium : 112 BE de « Federale Overheidsdienst Binnenlandse Zaken »itunes.apple.com/be/app/112-be/id1249304307?l=fr&mt=8
And it could immediately put you on a call after you do all that
Such an app does exists in Denmark. You click it and the "911" equivalent in Denmark knows where you are.
Part of the problem with accidental 911 calls is you can't just hang up because the dispatcher would assume the emergency interrupted your call which wastes more time looking for you. Also, some police departments don't have nonemergency numbers, so if you have a legitimate non-urgent need to report to police, it still ties up 911 time.
Nowadays there's a phone app at least here in Finland which gives your cordinates to the emergency if you call through it.