One of the running memes in the gunny community is “When seconds count, the police are minutes away.”

And sometimes 911 doesn’t even answer the phone.

Jonathan Raiskin is still livid about his attempt to call Pasco County 911 on Monday when a neighbor needed help.

“I already ran out the door when I saw her pulling up. I knew there was a problem, she said Jonathan, she was hysterical, my sister is not breathing, she’s blue and cold.”

Raiskin dragged the woman out of the rain to his front porch and he and the sister tried to revive her.

When that didn’t work, he called 911.

He says he waited through 12 long rings, but there was no answer.

His father did manage to get through and medical assistance was on scene in minutes. Here’s the real kicker – after the ambulance was gone, a dispatcher called Mr. Raiskin back asking if there had been a hang-up from that number. When confronted about no one answering the phone, the dispatcher told Mr. Raiskin that it had been a busy night.

The takeaway from all of this: you cannot depend on 911 when the fecal matter impacts the turbine.

You are on your own.