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From Consumer Reports (January 2006)

With more than 50 percent of all 911 calls made from wireless phones, and about one-third of cell phones purchased just for emergencies, many consumers depend on mobile telephone service in times of distress. But mobility has its price, requiring advanced technology to provide a 911 caller’s position to local dispatchers.

The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates interstate calls, mandated that by Dec. 31, 2005, wireless 911 callers’ position information, accurate to within several hundred feet, must be available to local emergency responders. At this writing, however, the wireless E911 system has not been fully deployed, so be prepared to provide location information when calling 911, which may be tricky at night or in an unfamiliar place.

hotshot

In the long aftermath of the devastating hurricanes of 2005, few questions remain more urgent than whether we can count on our phone systems in times of trouble. More than 3 million customers’ phone lines were knocked out in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama by wind and water during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Many of the phone lines that still worked couldn’t summon help because 911 call centers or the switching centers that route calls to them went down. Wireless phones also proved useless in many places, as more than a thousand cell sites and their switching centers became inoperative in the wake of the storm.

Some residents of the affected areas managed to reach help using other phone services, including text messaging over their wireless phones, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and satellite telephony. “Katrina proved that in emergencies you now have multiple ways of communicating,“ says Rick Jones of the National Emergency Number Association. “All worked in certain places, and all didn’t work in certain places. Every service had its limitations.”

The lesson for consumers is that while a single telephone account could suffice for individual emergencies, no one service can currently be counted on to work in a widespread calamity. For that reason, you may want to hedge your bets by subscribing to more than one type of phone service.

gizmokid999

I lived in New Jersey during 9-11 and I remember a lot of people had trouble reaching their loved ones in Manhattan that morning. There need to be systems in place to deal with such emergencies, whether they are natural disasters or acts of terrorism.

gizmokid999

My phone has GPS capability and is already programmed for 911 calls, so that the operator will know where I am. I guess this would be in response to the new regulations. It's comforting to know that my location can be traced in case of an emergency and I'm unable to speak.

hotshot

I worked as a 911 dispatcher for law enforcement, fire and hospital. Many peope have gone from a landline phone system to cell phones. What they may not realize is that the 911 system currently in use is based on your landline address. For example, you call 911 and your location will register from the landline so first responders know where to go when called out. However, when you only have a cell phone, there is no location automatically given. The dispatch needs to ask for your location. This can be difficult if the caller is traveling and not familiar with the area. Or it is dark and the caller can't see where they are. Or if there is serious injury and the caller is unable to respond to dispatchers questions. It will be good to have a wireless GPS for 911 use only. However, it may take some time to work out all the bugs that will be sure to pop up when the system is activated.