A quick rant about the amber alert last night... NF.

[NAW]

I can't seem to post the link for some reason.

 

But this is my rant...

 

Last night, There was an amber alert for a boy that was seen being forced in to a vehicle presumably being kidnapped.

 

Turns out he wasn't, he has just run away from home, and had just been found.. Or something like that.

 

Either way, Ontario for the first time ever, used the amber alert to disrupt local TV programming, and had a red screen with all the pertinent info about the abduction.

 

The system worked, because 911 received several calls about the abduction, and where able to locate the boy, safe and sound.

 

Now for the part that ticked me of, and is causing me to vent on OFC....

 

911 received many calls from TV viewers who where only calling to just to basically yell at the OPP and 911 for disrupting their TV programming!! What the hell??? 911 is for emergencies only, and I am pretty sure you can be charged for calling 911 if you don't have an emergency.

 

 

I for one... I saw this amber alert, and the last thing I thought about was being angry that my TV show was disrupted for 30 seconds..... Who cares about a TV show, someone's child was just presumably kidnapped..

 

 

Rant over.

Sorry, I know there's lots of NF content on here right now... But I just needed to vent.

Edited March 7, 2016 by N.A.W

[Sinker]

A lot of complaining on social media too. I won't complain, because I know if it was one of my kids I would want everyone to know what was going on.

 

Some people, eh? Sheesh!!

 

S.

[Old Ironmaker]

You post beat me by 5 minutes, I agree 100%, some people are just ignorant.

[jedimaster]

I heard it while I was in the car and I could not understand what the heack they were saying. It was some computer generated voice thing and it sounded like Stephen Hawking had a gag on.

[cheaptackle]

When I saw the subject of the post before opening it I was already seeing RED!

Thankfully I found the OP has expressed very well what should be said, rather than the complaint I was expecting.

I had just finished reading about it online in the Orillia Packet & Times site along with the OPP statement about the many who complained.

Good gravy folks - it was an alert erring on the side of caution, if anything, that had potential for heartbreaking disaster.

It (the alert) probably disturbed/disupted/interrupted your tv viewing for less time than you had to invest in complaining about it, along with said complaint yet again taxing the emergency communications phone lines.

I personally feel that all those who called to complain should be banned from the ability to use 911 or ANY other emergency service.

Let them then see what happens when THEY need it while someone else has made it unavailable to them.

That would be justice served in my book, but even I couldn't wish that on anyone no matter how much it might be deserved.

If only there was some way to make common sense a required skill...NAH not gonna happen!

 

Michael

[muddler]

Empathy, a slowly dying characteristic. Me,me,me,me me, it's all about me and what I want. I see it all the time now. I'm not saying that there aren't empathetic people out there, it just that the number of such people is dwindling.

 

It's the honey badger syndrome, the "I don't give a DAMN!", unless it affects me directly, groups. Usually by then it's too late. Me,me,me,me. You can't change stupid.

 

NAW, your rant is a valid one and the responses are good too.

 

muddler

[DRIFTER_016]

Yep, a lot of selfish ignorant people in this world!!!

I saw it also as I was watching Quantico on an Ontario channel.

Was happy when the all clear came out about 45 minutes later.

[Raf]

i just hope people don't get desensitized to these over time... like car alarms. i'd much rather hear a few knuckle draggers got annoyed than they just ignored.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Raf

[manitoubass2]

Calling 911 over the interuptions??? Unreal.

 

That should be an automatic billing situation. $500 fine or something

 

Glad it was just a precautionary thing and nobody went missing!

[manitoubass2]

i just hope people don't get desensitized to these over time... like car alarms. i'd much rather hear a few knuckle draggers got annoyed than they just ignored.

Until you have to call 911 and the lines are tied up

[Big Cliff]

I can't seem to post the link for some reason.

 

But this is my rant...

 

Last night, There was an amber alert for a boy that was seen being forced in to a vehicle presumably being kidnapped.

 

Turns out he wasn't, he has just run away from home, and had just been found.. Or something like that.

 

Either way, Ontario for the first time ever, used the amber alert to disrupt local TV programming, and had a red screen with all the pertinent info about the abduction.

 

The system worked, because 911 received several calls about the abduction, and where able to locate the boy, safe and sound.

 

Now for the part that ticked me of, and is causing me to vent on OFC....

 

911 received many calls from TV viewers who where only calling to just to basically yell at the OPP and 911 for disrupting their TV programming!! What the hell??? 911 is for emergencies only, and I am pretty sure you can be charged for calling 911 if you don't have an emergency.

 

 

I for one... I saw this amber alert, and the last thing I thought about was being angry that my TV show was disrupted for 30 seconds..... Who cares about a TV show, someone's child was just presumably kidnapped..

 

 

Rant over.

Sorry, I know there's lots of NF content on here right now... But I just needed to vent.

Well said!!!!

[BillM]

Some people are idiots (ie the ones calling 911 because their TV got interrupted)

[davey buoy]

Well said as well Nick,can't believe what some of have turned into. I believe ,for me anyway,this was the first time with people rebelling? I do not get it. A small life ,being taken without consent should ALWAYS take priority Imo. As said what if it was your own?.Selfish is all I can say,and heaven forbid something happens to one of their own.Sad really.

[Terry]

my only problem is, i dont think an amber alert on tv at 10 pm does any good

you need to contact people in cars

do every radio station and that makes sense

i bet no short term recovery will ever happen on TVs

[ccmtcanada]

I for one was impressed at the reach the amber alert accomplished! I thought it was a great use of technology to get the word out ASAP. Between that and social media, it basically went "viral" in a few short minutes. I'm glad to hear it was a false alarm....but you just never know. I'd rather they err on the side of caution when children are involved.

[Spanky80]

Unreal...the more I hear the line "you can't fix stupid", the sadder it makes me, realizing the character of people in this country that seems to be the norm nowadays instead of the exception.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Spanky

[pics]

This type of television warning was never intended for an Amber alert in the past. This amber alert never even met the criteria to be called one in the first place. There is a list of requirements that need to be met first. These red screen alerts will be ignored if they happen every few days.. originally the plan was for them for be on only when there is immediate danger to large numbers of people ( mass casualties) .. by all means flash something across the bottom of the screen but save the red screen for tornados, chemical leaks etc

[Joey]

I am just watching the news now and they are saying it was a full red alert and seen on all tv channels and it should not have been. They apologized for the error.

 

I had no problem with it interrupting my "Walking Dead" and it gave me a thump in my heart worrying about the child. I was glad to see he was found safe and sound so do not understand the complainers. Imagine if it were your child!!!!

 

Can't fix stupid!!

[Old Ironmaker]

This type of television warning was never intended for an Amber alert in the past. This amber alert never even met the criteria to be called one in the first place. There is a list of requirements that need to be met first. These red screen alerts will be ignored if they happen every few days.. originally the plan was for them for be on only when there is immediate danger to large numbers of people ( mass casualties) .. by all means flash something across the bottom of the screen but save the red screen for tornados, chemical leaks etc

An Amber Alert is for missing children. It started in the US, California I think and is named for a child abducted and killed, her name was Amber. I have been wrong in the past. There is a different alert system when the public is in danger on the Emergency Broadcast System. It is tested occasionally on TV and radio.

[PUMP KNOWS]

I thought when you exit the amber alert screen, it would no longer re-appear.

 

So I left the tv on while I took a shower. The next thing I know is my dog is barking and howling. Sounded like someone was trying to break into my house.

[Rizzo]

I didn't mind the interruption....what I didn't understand was you know your kid is missing, but you have to say its a child between the age of 8-13? Shoot if you want me to find your child give me the dang age! An 8 year old can be tiny, a 13 year old can be practically 6 feet tall. NOW I understand why they did it...it was a bystander reporting. But at the time, I thought man this is stupid. You want a child found but give only a vague description.

[pics]

I fear if we have these in this style too often then people will tune out. Like I said before, a beep or series of beeps and a scrolling message would work just as well..

[manitoubass2]

A little off topic but not really.

 

3 years ago the police came to the fair with what I think is an awesome service.

 

They did scans of our kids(height/weight/eye colour etc.

 

It was all saved to a disc we could keep in a safe.

 

If one of our kids went missing the police would have really accurate details about your kid(s) that our missing.

 

Had an app for phones etc.

 

Anyone else have this or something related?

[wormdunker]

Interrupted my TV show?? What a shameful act?? Some people don't have a clue what's going on in the world. Without a TV remote, laptop, tablet, cell phone they wouldn't know how to act!! I see it quite often with my grandchildren. Sitting for hours in front of a computer or TV. The parents should get these kids involved in our great outdoors, fishing, hiking, skiing, bike riding, take them skating for a Saturday afternoon or extra curricular sports at school. I don't like where our future generations are heading. But that's just me.

Good info Rick for the safety of our children. This would be an awesome system if it could be employed in our communities.

[dave524]

Just got the red screen and just a test of the system a few minutes ago on our Bell Fibe TV.