storm emergency info - Arlington Mass

https://twitter.com/ArlingtonMAPD/status/1086299219684671488

getting prepared for the big blow

some background info

1. usually - if you dial 911 or 643-1212 - you get the same people -
its the 2 or 3 dispatchers on duty at the Arlington Police Station -
sometimes if you dial 911 from a cellphone you might get the Middleton
regional answering center - and they will connect you back to the
Arlington dispatchers - sometimes if you dial 911 and all of the
Arlington dispatchers are busy, you might get rolled over to a
dispatcher in Lexington (not positive about that - but I think they
have an automatic mechanism for when 20 people try to call Arlington
911 all at once)

2. I suppose there is a chance you might get a busy signal if you call
643-1212 at the same time that 5 other people all that number - also -
if you call 643-1212, your telo number and address might not show up
automatically on the dispatchers console - they might be able to do a
star 69 on you (if that service is still available)

3. most calls are for wires down - and wires often go down because
branches go down - so the typical response is 1 fire truck - if it is
a communications wire (telephone or cable or fiber optic or internet
or whatever), they will probably cut the wire and move the branches
out of the road or driveway - if its a power line, they have to call
the Edison (power company) and wait for someone to come and kill the
power - this can take 1 to 3 hours - sometimes for big branches, they
have to send a DPW tree crew (if it is a town tree that is involved) -
but DPW cant do anything till the power is killed

this is pretty much the typical scenario for the USA - any call to 911
for wires down gets a response from a fire department first - except
that not all jurisdictions want people to call 911 for wires that are
down - sometimes they give a 10 digit telephone number or 311 or maybe
? 511 - maybe in some communities the public is told to call the power
company direct for any wires down - maybe some police departments also
respond to wire down calls - especially if a major roadway is involved
and traffic has to be rerouted

I am pretty sure that in NYC you are supposed to call the gas company
for any gas leaks - but most cities want people to call 911 for any
gas leaks - in any case, 911 and utility companys always pass calls
back and forth to each other - they know that the public does not
always report an emergency to exactly the right telephone number - its
no big deal on their end - both agencies usually end up responding to
the scene anyhow

to recap

RULE NUMBER 1 - stay away from downed wires - far away - electricity
can travel thru fences and guardrails and puddles etc