PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Fire and Rescue want people to use good judgement when they call 911 this Fourth of July.
The 911 dispatch call center at the Bureau of Emergency Communications receives several thousands of calls a day. On the Fourth, they get about 1,000 calls just about fireworks.
It’s those calls that tie up resources that would be better used for life-saving help.
“Because we get so many calls especially during those peak hours of the evening of July 4th, we want people to use good diligence when deciding what's an emergency and what's not," said Lt. Rich Chatman with Portland Fire and Rescue.
A spokesperson with the Bureau of Emergency Communications said only call 911 if there is an emergency or if something is on fire.
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