Some children from the Fordson Road Kindercare got much more than just a trip to the park on April 12. They learned about saving lives.
“We like to take the children on field trips as often as we can,” said Sally Booker, the director of the Fordson Road Kindercare. “We took the children to Gristmill Park because it is close to the Center and it is a favorite place for the children to play.”
There were about 25 children on the field trip, ranging in age from two to about 10. A 10-year-old girl was playing on the playground when she saw a car come through the bushes, onto the baseball field. She ran to a teacher and told her that there had been an accident.
Using her cellular phone, the teacher called 911. She got no answer. After letting the phone ring more than 15 times, the teacher disconnected and got the non-emergency number for the Alexandria Police Department from the operator. The Alexandria police told the teacher to contact Fairfax County. She called the non-emergency number for the Fairfax County police and was connected with fire and rescue. According to Booker, it took approximately 20 minutes from the time the girl reported the accident to a teacher until the first rescue vehicle arrived.
“The children were understandably concerned,” Booker said. “There was gas leaking and there was someone in the car. The teachers kept the children calm and everyone was very glad when the ambulance finally got there. We told the little girl that she was a hero for acting so quickly.”
WHY WAS THERE SUCH A DELAY in the response? According to police, when someone calls 911 from a cellular phone, the first available site picks up the call. That site could have been Alexandria or Illinois, according to police. Once the call is answered, it is routed to the appropriate agency for response. Because the call was made in the middle of the day during the busiest call time, there was a delay in locating an available cellular site.
“We want to encourage the children to call 911 when there is an emergency but we also had to explain to them why it took so long for someone to come and help the person in the car,” Booker said.
The woman was transported to a hospital and was being treated for her injuries.