# First Responders/military: how would you report in a monster/alien/giant bug/dinosaur/etc attack? And how long till you're taken seriously? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639 "2023-11-05T17:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/21 "2023-11-05T19:12:32Z")
How about natural disaster to capture the amount of structural damage occurring? “Dispatch, we’re having a giant riot downtown. Mass casualty event. The Chrysler Building just got knocked over. Send help quick!” “That’s some riot.” ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/22 "2023-11-05T19:14:52Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > I was trying to think of the police code to use. > [@Irishman](#): > > How about natural disaster to capture the amount of structural damage occurring? Along these lines, maybe calling it a major terrorist attack would elicit the most suitable massive police & military response from existing protocols, if there’s a monster that needs to be dealt with and people need to be kept away from the area. Maybe it’s even true - the Al Qaeda genetic engineers. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/23 "2023-11-05T19:20:58Z")
I was actually thinking about this recently when I read the science-fiction classic They Walked like Men. The main character calls his Senator (with whom he’s had some contact before, and so had some credibility) to tell him that aliens are attempting to destabilize the economy and cause mass panic through widespread counterfeiting. And of course the Senator ignores him. But if he had said the exact same thing, except just saying “someone” instead of “aliens”, he probably would have been believed (because of course, it fit all of the bizarre facts that folks had already been observing), and probably would have gotten an appropriate response sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/24 "2023-11-05T19:23:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not a first responder You _were_ the first who responded in this thread! Now you are responsible, no way around that. > [@Riemann](#): > > calling it a major terrorist attack would elicit the most suitable response That is what I came here to suggest. And do not forget to mention the weapons you (believe you) saw them carrying. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/25 "2023-11-05T19:27:55Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > You _were_ the first who responded in this thread! Now you are responsible, no way around that. And based on @Chronos’s call-in, he is now standing looking at Godzilla with a couple of animal control guys holding a net and one of those poles with a loop on the end. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/26 "2023-11-05T19:39:29Z")
I think reporting a fire might be the best idea if the monster is larger than a human. The police aren’t showing up with phasers. The goal here is to get someone else to confirm a report of a monster since no one is going to get moving when if they think it’s a dog being reported as a lion on the loose. Even if you report a bear someplace where it’s very possible that it is a bear you’ll be doubted. It might seem to be easier to report such things here on the verge of the 21st and ¼ century with a video taken on a camera phone but it’s far too easy to show someone a movie clip of a bear high on cocaine or any variety of monsters. So you need more people reporting that there is a monster to be concerned with and reporting a fire will be a very good way to accomplish that. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/27 "2023-11-05T21:05:27Z")
“We’re gonna need a bigger net.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/28 "2023-11-05T21:23:42Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Along these lines, maybe calling it a major terrorist attack would elicit the most suitable massive police & military response from existing protocols, if there’s a monster that needs to be dealt with and people need to be kept away from the area. Maybe it’s even true - the Al Qaeda genetic engineers. Yep, give it a skin they can act on. I was watching some Vampire film, when the teen kid next door found out his neighbor was a vamp, and killing people. So he called the cops, and they laughed at him. So, folks if this happens- call the police and say your neighbor is some sort of weird sex cultist that drinks blood and has lured many young women in that never come out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/29 "2023-11-05T21:24:56Z")
I don’t know that any 911 center is going to be receiving anyone’s cellphone vids in anything like real time. Neither from citizens nor first responders. Yes, many eyewitnesses will be videoing up until the moment they and their phone are eaten by the ravening monster or crushed by falling buildings. But where is all that video going? To their own FB page, or maybe nowhere except onto their device that will cloud sync the vids much later. From inside the monster depending on how well the monster chews its food and how well gorilla glass survives monster stomach juices. As to military reporters, the history of UFO sightings suggests the military HQ will tend to believe what they’re being told. More so of course when already in a state of high alert versus just peacetime training. However not all military aircraft or ground units are in continuous contact with a military HQ. I could see quite a long rampage before news filters up to somebody with the horsepower to order a response on an appropriate / adequate scale. An interesting parallel is the 9/11/2001 suicide flights. How long after the first event occurred before the President was notified? And how much longer before it was believed by the NCA to be hostile, rather than an accident / coincidence? I don’t know the answers, but I know they’re readily available. That was an example of an “I can’t believe my eyes” event. _Rodan_ attacking NYC would be equally unexpected. _Rodan_ rampaging in Tokyo? Ehh, must be Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/30 "2023-11-05T21:26:17Z")
One time I was emptying trash cans at an air show and a woman came up to me to alert me to a drunk guy trying to start a fight with another visitor. I had to find a cop (security forces) and even that guy didn’t want to deal with it – he was there to guard the planes. That is to say, the military isn’t really set up for this. I’d probably just call civilian 911 and how for the best. I would be curious how high up the chain of command this would have to go before anyone had a clue about how to even begin to respond, and how long that would take. Like, if I had solid proof of an alien attack, there would be 7 or 8 phone calls between me (a nobody) and the president. Half hour maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/31 "2023-11-05T21:35:47Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I think senior military commanders located too far away to see for themselves would start to believe it wasn’t a hoax only when they independently tasked aircraft that could not conceivably be “in on it” to to fly overhead and check. That’s why _mid-level_ military commanders are so important. If you have a lieutenant colonel or equivalent at the scene with eyes on the monster, there’s a good chance that (a) he’ll be able to organize an immediate response and (b) the generals will believe what he’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/32 "2023-11-05T21:40:43Z")
It’d be taking a chance, but I’d be dropping the word “_[Pinnacle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_nuclear_incident_terminology)_” every friggin’ chance I get . . . There’s currently no follow-on word for a monster/alien/etc, but I’d do this: ::cell rings:: **9-1-1 Dispatcher** : _Catron County Dispatch, where is your emergency?"_ **Tripler** : Five miles west of Datil, NM, on US 60 – I have a Pinnacle event, Biological in nature. Call Kirtland AFB Command post and relay “Pinnacle Biologic.” **9-1-1 Dispatcher** : _I’m sorry, what is the emergency?_ **Tripler** : Five miles west of Datil, notify Kirtland Command Post, “Pinnacle Biologic.” It’s headed towards the [VLA](https://public.nrao.edu/visit/very-large-array/). Stand by for follow-on SPOT report . . . Any Command Post watch officer worth his/her salt should get _real curious_ _ **real fast** _ on hearing the word “Pinnacle.” I would hope “Biologic” would make them curious enough to launch a sortie from KAFB to investigate. Tripler I was in Pie Town this weekend, which, for the purposes of this post, was flattened by our monster. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/33 "2023-11-05T21:41:22Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > And based on @Chronos’s call-in, he is now standing looking at Godzilla with a couple of animal control guys holding a net and one of those poles with a loop on the end. I was assuming a T. rex or a Them!-sized ant, not Godzilla. For Godzilla, I’d probably say “apparent nuclear attack” (which would also, technically, be true), since that would convey both “lots of buildings smashed to rubble” and “the military should probably be here”. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/34 "2023-11-06T08:32:37Z")
Former First Responder here: I would probably say something along the lines of: “Squad 7 to dispatch…um, you’re going to want to start additional units this way. Send all available units. We have a mass casualty situation. Start PD [police department] en route. As many units as possible. Start Fire for possible rescue/crowd/traffic control. Advise people to stay clear of this area until further notice. Show us on scene at a possible hazmat situation.” ---
**Author:** ![Plutonium\_Chef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/plutonium_chef/32/11211_2.png) [@Plutonium\_Chef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plutonium_Chef)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/35 "2023-11-06T17:26:24Z")
I asked a friend who’s a first responder (and trains first responders). He said: > Two responses: > (1) For the people here whom I interact with, we use the phrase “Real World”. When that is said, it means “REAL WORLD – WE ARE NOT KIDDING”. > (2) For the rest, a major Darwin event will likely occur. Sort of like, “Attack Pearl Harbor, this is no drill.” ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/36 "2023-11-06T17:57:58Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > My question is: in the real world, how would you report that in (presumably to urgently request backup, or at the least report a crime scene with a bullet riddled dead kraken), and how long till you get taken seriously? For the hypothetical, can I take video/pictures with my phone and text them to whomever I’m reporting this to? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/37 "2023-11-06T18:11:17Z")
> **[By Ant Standards by Joe Dator](https://condenaststore.com/featured/by-ant-standards-joe-dator.html)** > > By Ant Standards Drawing by Joe Dator ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/38 "2023-11-06T21:57:13Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > [@Ranchoth](#): > > > > My question is: in the real world, how would you report that in (presumably to urgently request backup, or at the least report a crime scene with a bullet riddled dead kraken), and how long till you get taken seriously? > > For the hypothetical, can I take video/pictures with my phone and text them to whomever I’m reporting this to? The current technology we were using allowed us to text a link to your phone and then you can upload the media through the link. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/39 "2023-11-07T07:54:18Z")
I was an Air Traffic Controller in the Air Force and staffed a VFR tower during my first tour in Indiana. We had no official guidance on reporting UFO’s but it was common knowledge among ourselves that if we ever spotted one, under no circumstances should we report it because doing so would subject us to scrutiny from which our career may suffer. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2023, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639/40 "2023-11-07T14:44:07Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > All women know the answer to this. When you are afraid of being disbelieved, just report a fire. They will come quickly, they will bring axes, they will help you, and they will understand why you had to lie. “Because I knew that nobody would come if I yelled “Chocolate!”” > [@](#): > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSmqYSVVpTM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSmqYSVVpTM) …or “Dinosaur” or “Giant Ant” or whatever [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-responders-military-how-would-you-report-in-a-monster-alien-giant-bug-dinosaur-etc-attack-and-how-long-till-youre-taken-seriously/992639.md?page=3)