A new report is showing just how many 911 hang-up calls Charleston County received last year.
The Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center received 50,001 “open line” calls and 45,204 hang-ups in 2022. Hang-up calls were up 70% from the prior year.
It happened to Marichu Provan of Summerville when her 3-year-old daughter accidentally called 911 while using her phone. She activated the device’s SOS emergency button.
“I freaked out,” Provan said. Telecommunicators say even if the call was a mistake, you should stay on the line.
“We’ll just confirm, you know,’ we did get a call from this line. Is everything okay there? Do you need police, fire, or EMS?’” telecommunicator Sara Schmenk said.
The 911 call center needs to follow up with every call, even if the person hangs up before speaking to someone. That can have a spillover effect.