Oakland residents resort to calling fire department over 911 during medical emergencies
OAKLAND, Calif. - Residents have complained that wait times for 911 in Oakland are too long, but an oversight commission says there’s a loophole, specifically for a medical emergency, when the seconds count.
The direct line for the Oakland Fire Department (OFD) is 510-444-1616, visible on the city website. Some people have started to use this number during medical emergencies, saying that it provides a quicker response than 911.
Omar Farmer, with the city’s Safety and Services Oversight Commission, says he recommended the city publicize the direct line for medical emergencies at a city council meeting in November.
"You won’t get any long wait times," said Farmer. "I mean, that number is paid for by taxpayer dollars, for the people of Oakland."
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He said the commission does outreach at neighborhood council meetings to make sure people have what they need in an emergency. He presented his recommendations to the Grand Lake Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council last year.
"This is literally to save lives. That’s why we’re doing it," said Farmer.
Dozens of people on Nextdoor have posted and commented recommending the direct line to OFD to each other, sharing stories where they received help quickly.
Melissa Williams said she learned about the direct line on Nextdoor years ago and saved it in her phone if she ever needed it.
"Unfortunately, we can’t rely on 911 in this city," said Williams.
She put it to use when she saw a man having a medical emergency outside the Walgreens on High Street a few months ago.
"There were two people in the parking lot that were on their phones, and they were really agitated and indicating to us that they couldn’t get through to 911, so I pulled out my phone. I had the number ready to go in my emergency contacts, so I called the fire department. They picked up right away and were there within 6 minutes," Williams explained.
Meanwhile, she said the other witnesses hung up after waiting for an answer from 911, and getting impatient on hold.
Officials from fire, police and the mayor’s office urge residents to primarily call 911, otherwise dispatchers can’t see where you’re calling from or get a call-back number.
A spokesperson with the City of Oakland said in a written statement, "We recommend our community members to dial 911 immediately for situations that pose a risk to life, health, property, or public safety."
"Oakland's highly trained emergency dispatchers will triage your call and dispatch the necessary help," the statement went on to say.
The direct line for fire should be used, only if 911 is not available or if you are calling from outside of Oakland for someone having a medical emergency in Oakland.
Mayor Sheng Thao announced back in September that $2.5 million would be spent over the next couple of years to improve the city’s 911 system, and the city is actively recruiting new dispatchers to fill vacancies.
As of January 1st, state records show a little more than 53% of calls are answered within 15 seconds in the city of Oakland, which is an improvement from the 46% KTVU reported in Fall of 2023.
The state requires at least 90% of 911 calls be answered in 15 seconds.
OFD received about 65,000 calls in 2023, with nearly 70% being medical. OPD received more than 1.2 million calls in 2023.