911 Calls Go Unanswered; Chief Says Cell Phone Carrier to Blame

Some Brookhaven residents say they’ve called 911 to report fires and car accidents – and received no answer from DeKalb County emergency responders.

The culprit, says the county police chief, is the cell phone carrier used to call 911. 

Kim Zweig of Brookhaven called 911 when her gas grill exploded with flames, but said she couldn’t get through to dispatchers.

"First instinct, call 911. Well I called and it rang 10 times, it just kept ringing and ringing and no one would answer," she told WXIA TV.

When she couldn't get through to 911, Zweig grabbed a broom to put out the fire.

She was so upset that she posted about it on Facebook and saw dozens of people in Brookhaven had the same complaint. Her next-door neighbor couldn't get a response when she called 911 to report a head-on collision.

DeKalb County Police Chief Jim Conroy said the cell phone carrier is the cause of the problem; land lines are the preferred method of calling 911. The call log shows that  Zweig’s call came through and an operator tried three times to call her back, but the line was busy.

"911, that's the lifeline for all of our citizens, and it's important that we take it very seriously," Conroy told WXIA.

The City of Brookhaven is switching to a new 911 system in August, partly because of residents’ complaints.

>>>See WXIA’s full story here.