Haaretz writes that Magen David Adom’s Ashdod hotline has received a flood of phone calls from Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who curse the dispatcher or file false reports of accidents.
According to figures released by MDA, there were 450 such calls in 2004. Many of the false reports were of terror attacks in the Ashdod region or multi-casualty road accidents. In one case, MDA declared a multi-casualty accident when an anonymous call was received – apparently from a Jewish caller – saying that toxic chemicals had been spilled at the Kanot junction. By the time the report was found to be false, 22 ambulances had been sent to the scene.
In another case, a report was received that a busload of children had overturned on the main Tel Aviv-Ashdod highway, automatically forcing MDA to declare a high alert.
With a worst-case scenario of ambulances on a wild goose chase while real victims suffer, the MDA is installing a system to screen out crank calls.
(Hat tip: Daily Alert)
