Margate firefighters extinguished a chimney fire at 3 S. Nassau Ave., Monday, Nov. 18, 2019
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – Fire Chief Dan Adams is recommending residents experiencing emergencies call 911 immediately instead of placing calls directly to the Fire Department. The department has experienced a number of calls for emergencies, but often the information is delayed when firefighters are out on other calls.
Adams said calling the direct access number only delays response time, which could mean life or death in the event of a fire or medical emergency.
“Direct phone calls to the Fire Department has been troublesome because we are not able to get all the information that Police Dispatchers can get and put into the CAD system. We are trying to transfer them over, but I want to remind residents to call in actual emergencies to 911,” he said.
Adams said the city recently had an emergency where a gas line was struck and the caller contacted the Fire Department instead of dialing 911.
“You really shouldn’t be reporting those types of incidents to the Fire Department, because we are not collecting the data that’s needed,” he said.
Police communication workers are trained to collect information and properly dispatch the appropriate agency to respond to fires, medical emergencies, gas leaks, pipes freezing and other emergency situations.
He urged residents to call 911 for emergencies to ensure a prompt response from public safety.
Residents can call 609-822-1151 for non-emergencies, such as requests for smoke and carbon monoxide detector installations.
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