Coronavirus Cautions Causing 911 Hesitation In Tolland County

TOLLAND COUNTY, CT — Emergency management officials in Tolland County said Thursday that 911 dispatch statistics are pointing to an alarming trend in the region — residents are waiting too long to call for help during true emergencies over fears of breaking "stay at home" orders.

Michael Purcaro, who serves the rare dual role in Vernon as town administrator and emergency and risk management director, said he recently spoke with officials from Tolland County Mutual Aid, the regional fire and EMS dispatch center, and they said, from the onset of the coronavirus restrictions in early March to now, overall EMS 911 call volume has "significantly decreased" but the "acuity" of 911 calls has significantly increased.

For example, he said, the region has experienced a 33 percent increase in cardiac arrest calls over its 17 towns. It has also been reported that the other regional emergency dispatch centers across the state are experiencing similar increases in the acuity of calls.

"It appears that people are waiting too long to call 911 for help," Purcaro said. "We are hearing (from dispatchers) that people are concerned about leaving their homes and being transported by ambulance to a hospital and contracting COVID as well as being concerned about their ability to pay for medical services if they have had their income reduced or have lost their job or medical insurance due to COVID-19. Regardless of the reasons, the numbers speak for themselves and I think demand our action."

Tolland Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director John Littell went as far as to term the situation "weird." He said his crews underwent extensive training to respond to tractor-trailer crashes along his notorious and hilly Interstate-84 corridor during the pandemic, but there has not been one for nine weeks. Meanwhile, the 911 situation has emerged.

He said it has not been relegated to heart attacks.

"Parents are even hesitant to call about children, and that's not good," he said. "People are obviously scared, but we are saying call ... the pediatric doctors will see your children."

Littell said domestic calls are also becoming more common as more time is being spent at home. An example of that was an oven fire in Tolland this week.

Littell coordinates the conference calls with officials from the region and he said a standardized effort is under way to get the word out that 911 needs to be called in an emergency.

"We wanted a standardized effort," he said.

Towns across the region are sending out announcements to promote what is being dubbed the "Don't Wait Until It's Too Late to Call 911" campaign. It was created by the Tolland County Dispatch Center in partnership with local hospitals and EMS providers."

Here it is:

"We don't want want people hesitating and our focus is on telling people they need to call 911 in an emergency," he said. "People need to take this for real."

Purcaro said regional officials understand that residents are concerned about not only visiting a hospital, but being left alone with no visitors if a stay is required. He also says officials understand billing concerns from folks who may have lost their insurance coverage.

But he also emphasized that emergencies require a quick 911 call.

"Seconds count," he said. "Every second can mean the difference between life and death, especially with classic systems of a heart attack."

Vernon Social Services Director Michelle Hill said a variety of help is available to those in need. She said a comprehensive listing of the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services programs can be found at: https://portal.ct.gov/DSS. The state's HUSKY insurance program is includes, she said.