The WNY Listening PostWestern New York's Scanner-Fed Tabloid

Mom Loses Six-Year-Old at Dodge Elementary; Amherst PD Finds the Boy at Home With Dad Within Six Minutes^[1][2][3]

An autistic six-year-old goes off the radar at the East Amherst school's afternoon pickup; a brief search ends with the cleanest possible all-cars 10-36.

At 1:28 p.m. an Amherst PD officer broadcast that a citizen was in the rear lot of Dodge Elementary looking for her six-year-old autistic son. Two cars and an eleven-unit started heading over, and the search began at 2190 Niagara Falls Boulevard — the Tim Hortons across the street from the school — with cars also drifting toward Gino's Pizza on the chance the boy had walked the strip. By 1:33 p.m. dispatch had quietly closed it out: the school told officers the boy came from 2531 North French, and an officer reported in from the address: "I'm out with Dad and the child's home." All cars 10-36.

290 Eastbound Falls Apart Near Millersport — A Chair, Two Disabled Cars, a Black Subaru With a Flat, and a Hyundai That Was Leaking Gasoline When Police Got to It^[4][5][6][7]

The afternoon's biggest neighborhood incident started with a single piece of furniture in the road and ended with Amherst Fire dispatching to Mount Blue Drive for minor injuries and a strong fuel odor.

The first sign of trouble came at 2:36 p.m. on Amherst PD, when an officer reported "in addition to the chair, we now have two disabled vehicles from the chair" on the 290 eastbound, just before Main Street. A black Subaru was on the right shoulder with a flat; a gray Hyundai Elantra was hung up before the Millersport exit on the right shoulder; a fourth vehicle was sitting on the left shoulder. Amherst PD spent the next ten minutes trying to thread tow trucks through the traffic.

By 2:43 p.m. an officer who was up close with one of the cars asked dispatch whether there was a can of gasoline near where the vehicle needed to be hooked from. The answer back: "No, negative. The car is leaking gas. We can't determine how much, though. There's a strong odor." Two minutes later Amherst Fire dispatched a follow with Mount Blue Drive, between Mount Blue Court and Shimwood Drive, advising that police on location were reporting minor injuries and a leaking-fuel vehicle. Multi-vehicle, low injury count, leaking gas — the kind of expressway debris cascade that turns one chair into an hour of work.

Odor of Natural Gas Inside 9 Tudor Court, Off London Dairy Lane — Ellicott Creek Investigates^[8][9]

The morning's only fire-side dispatch in the village — a residential gas-odor investigation, not the meter pit.

Amherst Fire Dispatch struck the call at 8:37 a.m.: Ellicott Creek to investigate the odor of natural gas in the residence at No. 9 Tudor Court, off London Dairy Lane. A dispatcher added that the caller had also reported an alarm going off in the home. By 9:18 a.m. the channel had cleared the units in service with zero readings — the residential gas-odor playbook ran exactly the way it's supposed to.

Williamsville Fire Alarm Activation at 16 Mardell Way, Between Toydell and the Dead End — Engines Clear With the Button Reset^[10][11]

A standard alarm-panel run on a Williamsville cul-de-sac — struck at 10:45, units in service by 10:54, alarm reset in the hallway.

Amherst Fire Dispatch pulled units to the residence at 10:45 a.m. on a confirmed alarm activation. Williamsville 9-1 responded. Nine minutes later the closeout came over the air: "That's clear. Alarms reset. Lanes will be in service at 10-50-4." No fire, no smoke, no second-due requested.

Mulch Fire by the M&T Drive-Thru at University Plaza, 3500 Main Street^[12][13]

A 1:41 p.m. investigate-only on the strip mall's landscaping — the kind of call that drops a hush over the radio for a full forty seconds.

An Amherst Fire crew radioed in that they could still investigate a possible mulch fire by the M&T drive-thru at University Plaza, 3,500 Main. The follow-up confirmation came four minutes later: "So I'm investigating a mulch fire by the M&T drive-thru at the University Plaza, 3500, 1341 Amherst Fire." No second alarm, no working-fire upgrade — just a smouldering bed of bark on the bank's apron.

Officer-Safety Tone From North Tonawanda: Knife-Wielding Female Possibly Headed for Wegmans, Said She Wanted to Chop Up a State Trooper^[14][15]

1:21 p.m. broadcast from Amherst PD: every car copy. Don't pursue, but watch for the plate.

At 1:21 p.m. an Amherst PD dispatcher cut across the channel: "All units, all units, copy Officer Safety from North Tonawanda." A female had been agitated with a knife in North Tonawanda and had fled in a 2014 gray Hyundai Accent, plate King Victor Paul 8985. The registered owner had made statements about chopping up a New York State trooper and had an extensive 10-12 (mental-hygiene) history. NTPD was not pursuing charges; they wanted area cars aware. A minute later the caller had reportedly said she was grabbing food — possibly at Wegmans or Walmart.

Twin City to 825 Wehrle Drive, Trinity Cardiology — Lift Assist, Cold Response^[16][17]

Snyder due in cold for a lift, mid-afternoon, between South Union and the city line.

At 1:35 p.m. Amherst Fire Dispatch sent Snyder companies cold to Trinity Cardiology at 825 Wehrle Drive on a Twin City request for help lifting a patient. Routine ambulance assist; no patient deterioration noted on the channel.

Cooking-Smoke Alarm at 77 Arlington Road, Between Main and the River — Main-Transit Subservice Holds With Engine Three^[18][19][20]

Williamsville-line residential alarm, confirmed accidental, dispatcher closed the call out at 12:39 p.m.

Amherst Fire Dispatch struck a fire alarm activation at 77 Arlington Road at 12:28 p.m., with Engine 3 holding on location and Aerosol 9 also responding. Six minutes later the read-back: "was set off by cooking, no need for ventilation, could accidental, Main-Transit subservice." Echo King in service at 12:39 p.m. No extension, no relief.

Burroughs Drive Apartment 4: Welfare Check Following an Overnight Mother-Son Domestic at 471^[21][22]

9:34 a.m.: caller meets officers outside, says the female stayed with her overnight; came home this morning, now no answer at the door but voices inside.

Amherst PD got the call from a neighbor on Burroughs Drive, apartment 4. The story she gave on arrival: there had been a domestic between a mother and son the night before at 471; the mother had stayed with her overnight, gone home in the morning, and now she'd gone to check on her and was getting no answer despite hearing voices inside. By 9:44 a.m. an officer was back on the radio: no answer at the door, no audible voices on a second attempt. Closed without entry, no incident number escalated.

144 North Indian Drive Versus Number 18: Neighbor Pulled Up and Threatened the Complainant^[23][24]

9:57 a.m. Amherst PD: "She says there's an ongoing issue with the neighbor at 18. Said she pulled up next to her car parked in the street and threatened her."

Two cars went around the corner to speak with the complainant at 144 North Indian Drive; the husband and neighbors were separated by the time officers got there. A second car was requested for the call — the only North Indian incident on the channel today. Documentation only, no entry attempted at 18.

A Goose With a Leg Injury Has Set Up Camp in the Aldi Parking Lot at Maple and Bailey^[25]

10:28 a.m. on Amherst PD: "There's a goose at Aldi's on Maple and Bailey, 4030 Maple Road in the parking lot with a leg injury in the front grassy area along Maple."

A complete and properly geo-coded police-radio sentence about a single waterfowl. The goose's disposition was not announced before the channel moved on; the property manager at Aldi did not appear to have requested follow-up.

A Man in a Chevy Malibu Is Trying to Plug Into Knowles Mobile's Electricity and Refuses to Leave^[26]

12:40 p.m., 3005 Niagara Falls Boulevard, between North Frontage and East Robinson.

Customer-trouble call from the wireless-store strip on the boulevard: a black male in a blue Chevy Malibu was attempting to plug into the building's exterior outlet and was refusing to leave. A vehicle-charging dispute at a wireless dealership is one of the rare incidents on the public-safety radio that contains its own punchline.

Buffalo Fire Department Accidentally Reads Its Own Station ID on Air, Then Signs Off With "Thank You for Listening to the AM Radio Podcast"^[27][28][29]

BFD Ch 1 Dispatch, 8:40 a.m.: a half-FCC-compliant station break in the middle of a routine shift change.

The unaired-podcast moment of the day. A BFD Ch 1 dispatcher started in with "Hey, what are you doing?", segued into "Staffing levels are…", then audibly noticed the open mic with the phrase "For Facebook," caught their breath, and delivered the canonical: "Radio station WNRF 545 operating by the authority of the Federal Communications Commission. This is Buffalo Fire Department, radio station WNMF 545, operating by the authority of…" The sign-off, eight seconds later: "Thank you for listening to the AM Radio Podcast." The actual BFD call sign is WNMF; the dispatcher had two attempts and an open channel.

"Peace Just For You, From Forrest the Bird" — BuffaloLimo's Morning Drop-Off Soundtrack^[30]

8:16 a.m., picking up Grant "the first kid, the couple kids, and four birds," wondering aloud why these trucks are over here paving the street.

The day's most BuffaloLimo broadcast: a driver running the school loop on the East Side, paving crews in their way, narrating their morning to dispatch and then, as a sign-off, sending peace from somebody named Forrest the Bird. We are still not sure whether Forrest is a passenger, a pet, or a fellow driver. The next transmission was unrelated.

Wyoming County Fire 1 Reports: "MetaGiddy 1 Out of Service, MetaGiddy 2 in Service"^[31]

The morning sign-on from Perry, in the unit-name category of pure radio Americana.

WyoCo Fire 1 at 7:55 a.m., five-second transmission, no clarification. We're going to assume MetaGiddy is a portable apparatus call sign and not a state of mind, but the radio gives no further information.

"I'm Gonna Limp Back to the Job and Get the Fucking Weight Off of It" — Mid-Day Distress Call From a Buffalo Limousine Driver^[32]

12:41 p.m., immediately preceded by "Son of a bitch," immediately followed by "I guess, what do you do?"

The day's purest unfiltered fleet transmission. Whatever was on the truck was making the driver's afternoon longer than he had planned. The radio gave no resolution.

HMS Security at the Stadium: "Someone's Got a Pallet of Tracking Material in the Freaking Parking Spaces"^[33][34]

9:47 a.m. on the Sports Venues talkgroup, with a follow-up summons of "Joe Sager, come in" over the same channel.

Stadium-side security spotted a stray pallet of "tracking material" blocking spaces west of an unnamed gate, dispatched Ryder, then hailed Joe Sager on the radio — the kind of stage-direction snippet that escapes from a venue-ops channel and disappears into the day.

Dispatch Has a Dog at 30 Lennox; Already-Open Entry Says 45 Linux; Caller Says No One Home at 45^[35][36][37]

11:28 a.m. on Amherst PD: a found-dog page that ricochets between street name and Linux distribution.

An officer radioed at 11:28 that a call had come in for number 30 Lennox — they had a dog in custody. Dispatch responded that there was already an entry, addressed to "45 Linux". A minute later the lady on the phone reported that no one was home at 45, that someone there was deceased, and that the people at 30 would hold the dog until the officer could collect it. Animal control by way of a typo, a tragedy, and a neighbor.

Niagara County Dispatches a Cardiac Arrest; Pre-Arrivals Given^[38]

8:02 a.m. NC FD Dispatch tones for EMS 24 at 33M7C: "the mailing cardiac arrest. Pre-arrivals are being given. AOS priority response is recommended."

The morning's most serious medical page across Niagara County: an ALS-priority cardiac-arrest run with pre-arrival CPR instructions in progress. Channel moved to MED-TFD-TAC-1.

Chest Pain, Blurred Vision, Headache at General Motors Lockport — 59-Year-Old Male, 200 Upper Mountain Road^[39][40]

8:12 a.m., City of Lockport EMS via Niagara County FD: "Use Road 2 to meet security at the road to go to medical."

A working-age male collapsed inside the GM Lockport stamping plant complex with the trifecta of chest pain, blurred vision, and a headache; security was staged at Vermont Road off Sunset to bring EMS in through the plant gates. ALS priority.

Mono Systems on Hopkins — BFD Engine 4 on a Level-2 Fire-Alarm Activation, Buffalo East Side^[41][42]

10:27 a.m. BFD Ch1 dispatch: "Luminary signal to investigate an activated fire alarm, number 180 Hopkins Street, between West Woodside and Alturia."

The morning's only commercial fire-alarm response in the City of Buffalo. Mono Systems on Hopkins, no follow-up traffic indicating fire or smoke.

BFD Investigating Carbon Monoxide With Symptoms in a Buffalo Upper, 86 Flower Street^[43]

1:25 p.m., between Bruce and Angle: level-2 response, ladder 7 and Battalion 4-7 dispatched.

A CO-with-symptoms call — meaning the building was occupied and someone was reporting effects — sent BFD to the upper unit at 86 Flower. No mass-casualty escalation followed.

Combative 64-Year-Old Male at Route 39 Walgreens in Cattaraugus County; Three Troopers en Route^[44][45]

8:20 a.m. on S-E Fire Dispatch out of Springville-Sardinia: Mercy mutual aid called for Yorkshire.

Dispatch described a 64-year-old male in difficulty breathing and "extremely combative" — the kind of call that requires three state troopers as a precondition for Mercy EMS to bring the cot inside.

Coast Guard Notices to Mariners, in One Long 10:56-to-11:02 Block, Across Lake Erie and Lake Ontario^[46][47][48]

Marine 22A-1022: a sailing-vessel activity advisory for the Rocky River, Ohio, on May 25, plus a land-based fireworks display advisory for Waterloo, NY.

The week's longest single-channel block on Maritime Ops. Coast Guard radio detailed a 0900-to-1200 sailing-vessel race course 1.5 miles north of the mouth of the Rocky River on Sunday, then segued into a Waterloo, NY land-based fireworks advisory with a defined fallout zone across encompassing waters. Boaters in the eastern lake basin should expect transitory restricted areas this weekend.