Calling 911 By Accident? A Lot of Yakima Phones Are Doing That

When you call 911 a host of actions happen immediately to get you help. But all that effort to get you help is hampered when 911 operators get accidental 911 calls. It's apparently a big problem in Yakima at SunComm 911 Communications, the folks who handle 911 calls in the county.

OFFICIALS ARE URGING EVERYONE TO CHECK PHONE SETTINGS

A post on social media is asking people to check security settings especially in new i-phones because of a recent software update that may be causing the problem. If you own an i-phone they urge you to check security settings to make sure you're not making the calls without intention.

ACCIDENTAL CALLS ARE COMMON BUT NOT IN THIS NUMER

Accidental or prank 911 calls happen everyday but SunComm officials say not at the rate they're seeing this week. Upwards of 1000 accidental 911 calls have been received by the center over the last week. That's taxing for operators and it also means the 911 lines are being kept busy with accidental calls. Plus they say when they receive the accidental calls they must call back to make sure there's no problem taking more time away from operators.

WE'VE ALL MADE THAT ACCIDENTAL CALL

If you've ever made an accidental 911 call you're not alone. Many people call emergency officials by mistake so they expect that. It's just the large volume of calls that are concerning to local authorities. They're hoping everyone reviews security settings to make sure you're not 911 when you don't need help.