What do you mean 9-1-1 is broken?

As someone that needs to be constantly in the know, I sign up for email alerts in the city I live in.  At 10:30AM this morning I get an email saying  the county “is currently experiencing intermittent problems with the 9-1-1 system. If you call 9-1-1 and can’t get through, immediately call 703-741-3035.”   At first I don’t think much of it because I’m busy working.  Then at 11AM  I get another email telling me the same thing.  So now I stop to think about it.  What if I had an emergency and didn’t sign up for these stupid alerts?  I would have no idea.  I’m thinking that most people probably don’t get them as a matter of fact.  I continue thinking about it for a few minutes then get back to work.

I go to lunch and I come back to two more alerts.  Now I’m pissed.  What if my house was on fire?  What if I fall and can’t get up and don’t have one of those buttons?  What if…I don’t know.  There are a lot of  what-ifs.  But this is not cool people.  I imagine they may have had something on the news or local television.  But if I’m on the ground without a button to push I probably can’t get up to get the remote either.

I was THIS close to picking up the phone to call the police myself. Until I realized that I wouldn’t get anyone.  Genius.  Then I thought I would call my congress person. And then I realized that I was skipping my age group and skipping straight to old lady with six cats.  And I don’t even like cats.

So, here’s what I learned today:

(1) The police department in my city is severely underfunded and I should move

and

(2) I am a crazy person.