911 Dispatchers Expect Calls During Filming of Batman

Emergency dispatchers in Pittsburgh are preparing to take calls from residents who may be unprepared for fake gun shots, explosions, and other mayhem while the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises films at various city locations. The movie has received mammoth publicity in the local media, but emergency response teams expect that some folks may be puzzled by some of the very real-sounding special effects.

Even those who know of the movie could be confused. "If you hear shots fired or a disturbance or gunfire, and you feel it's possibly a real event, don't automatically assume that it isn't." a city official tells WTAE-TV. "Call 911 and report it and we'll figure it out." Traffic is expected to be affected, too, as certain streets will be closed for filming and so crews can put down fake snow for some scenes. (More Batman stories.)