APCO Posts Videos for 911 Education

The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) has created two 30-second videos as part of their on-going efforts to educate the public about dialing 911 for help. “Using humor,” APCO says, one public service announcement focuses on knowing your exact location when calling from a cellular phone, and the other highlights using 911 only for emergencies. Watch the two videos– “Kitchen” here, and “Club” here, and decide if the public will get the message. [more]

Editor — The APCO spot that focuses on cellular 911 calls is too obtuse–I don’t understand several elements of the TV spot, including the turtle, what the man is preparing for in the mirror, what type of location he’s actually in (those stairs and mirrored disco ball are in his apartment?), and what type of injuries he received. The final shot showing the cityscape doesn’t last long enough to make the point–you’re a small speck in a vast city when you dial 911 without Phase II. But most pertinent, the spot never tackles the real issue, one that is actually depicted in the spot–what if the caller can’t provide his/her location because of an injury or interrupted call? “Always give specific details,” the spot says. But shouldn’t the 911 system provide the location? But then, this isn’t a commercial about implementing Phase II features, is it?

The TV spot about the proper use of 911 seems to actually reinforce inappropriate behavior by showing a fire engine is dispatched for these types of callers. Not only that, the firefighters seem unannoyed, helpful and thorough (one cleans up the woman’s refrigerator!). This spot is not actually not “humor” as described by APCO, but rather hyperbole or irony. And that’s way too complex for a 30-second TV commercial and the ordinary TV viewer.