Out of 150 calls they receive in an hour, majority are either abusive or salacious
Out of 150 calls they receive in an hour, majority are either abusive or salaciousSeems like the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency's control room receives less calls reporting emergencies and more abusive prank calls.
With six firemen manning the control room and 10 helpline numbers, callers call in with abusive remarks and salacious comments at the High Grounds fire control room on Seshadri Road.
P Ventakraman Bhatt, chief control room officer, said, "We get anywhere between 50 to 150 calls in an hour.
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| Firemen at the High Grounds fire control room answering calls |
And most of these callers are abusive, ask stupid questions and sometimes at night even sex workers call us asking if we can meet them." He added, "All calls have to be answered and we end up listening to all this nonsense."
P Rajan, a fireman, said, "More than 95 per cent of the calls we receive are false. Most of the time its children who call. Even women repeatedly call and swear at us."
He added, "Sometimes we even recognise a few numbers because they call us so often. It's better at night, but then we get calls from drunken men."
Another fireman G Sugaiah said, "Phones constantly ring here and it's very stressful to deal with all these pranksters.
We have to answer every call because any of them could be an emergency call." He added, "Sometimes, they even lie about emergencies."
Chief Fire Officer (WEST) N V Erappa said, "Why they call us is the big question.
It's possible they call us because they think government employees are jobless." He added, "These people have a very negative approach towards the government."
Erappa added, "Sometimes we complain to the telephone department, but it's not possible to complain against so many. We just have to be patient and hope the public changes its attitude."
Sick minds"There is an anti-social element in these callers, they take pleasure from the vicarious activity.
Undoubtedly, it is the work of a sick mind that deliberately picks on the fire department once anonymity has been established," said Psychologist and former Bangalore University VC professor Thimmappahe.
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"The firefighters are always required to do their job, but misguiding them is serious."
The Calls"Who is this?
"Why are you working?"
"Hi baby, I love you."
"Can we meet? Where do you live"
"You're an idiot. Get lost."u00a0
