Credit: Beata Dziekonski.
During a 12-hour window between 4:00 p.m. on Thursday and 4:00 a.m. on Friday, the Montgomery County’s 9-1-1 Communications Center experienced an unprecedented surge in incoming calls.
Over the course of that window, the center received a total of 4,887 calls, a volume nearly five times higher than the typical 12-hour average of approximately 1,000 calls.
The busiest hour occurred between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., when 1,773 calls were logged—an average of one incoming call every two seconds. The 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. timeframe followed closely, with an additional 1,692 calls received.
Along with the spike in call volume, the center experienced a significant increase in abandoned calls—situations where callers disconnected before speaking with a Telecommunicator. Officials emphasized that hanging up and calling back does not expedite assistance; in fact, doing so places the new call at the end of the queue, potentially delaying help. Callers are urged to remain on the line, even during high-volume periods.
During this 12-hour period, the most common types of incidents reported were:
Road Obstruction – 378 incidents
Electrical Fire (Outside) – 199 incidents
Police Information – 189 incidents
Public Service Requests – 108 incidents
Security Alarms – 78 incidents
Other notable incident types included:
Vehicle Accidents – 58
Building Investigations – 53
Carbon Monoxide Detector Alerts – 25
Rescue Calls (all types) – 23
Building Fires – 14
The municipalities with the highest number of dispatched incidents were:
Lower Merion Township – 356 incidents
Abington Township – 244 incidents
Cheltenham Township – 179 incidents
Upper Moreland Township – 136 incidents
Upper Dublin Township – 111 incidents
Springfield Township – 85 incidents
Collectively, these six municipalities accounted for 50.5% of all dispatched incidents during the reporting period.
County officials extended their sincere gratitude to the Telecommunicators and emergency dispatch staff who managed this extraordinary workload with exceptional skill and professionalism. Their continued dedication plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of the public, especially during times of overwhelming demand.
Residents are reminded that in an emergency, it is essential to stay on the line and allow dispatchers to handle calls in the order received. Help is on the way.
