Emergency SOS Crash Sequence
By Susannah Kerest
Front Porch Forum hosts online newsletters in every town in Vermont. Neighbors, nonprofits, businesses, and government officials can post messages, share news, get advice, make recommendations, announce events, sell items, and much more. It's all about helping neighbors to connect and build community.
Each week, one posting is selected for its humor, storytelling, or community-building, and then shared throughout the state. And, now you can read it here in The Bridge Weekly.
Peter shared an incident in the Waltham Forum. We thought it was well worth a share:
"Yesterday morning, my cell phone fell off of my trailer fender, hitting the ground hard. This initiated an Emergency SOS crash sequence, including calling 911 and sending texts to my emergency contacts. Three things;
"First - Thank you to Vergennes Police Dept., Vergennes Fire Dept., Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, and Vermont State Police. The response was rapid and thorough. How fortunate are we to live in a community where we have dedicated women and men as first responders. Thank you!
"Second - I apologize for initiating this false alarm 'crash.' I have a newfound respect for this phone's capabilities and consequences.
"Third - This event prompted my wife and me to look into our Emergency SOS phone settings and found that there were a number of settings and emergency contacts that needed adjusting (emergency text messages do not go through to a landline phone, for instance). You can even set up a digital Medical ID for ER/medical personnel to access in an emergency situation. Just passing this along. Perhaps you may want to look at your settings."
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Cows in Morrisville (courtesy photo)