more on Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ed Biebel <edward () biebel net>
Date: December 22, 2005 2:00:18 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: RE: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

Dave,

I have a couple of quick comments on this.  I don't disagree with your
reader in that it never hurts to have a back-up plan but before going
outside of the 9-1-1 network, you should have a very good  
understanding of
how the system works and what you lose going outside of it.

1. Not all dispatch centers are equal.  In my town, police are  
dispatched
from two different physical locations (one for local police calls and
another for state police calls on the interstates in our area) and basic
life supports ambulances, fire equipment and Advance Life Support  
teams are
dispatched from another location.  In the next town local police,  
fire, BLS
ambulances are dispatched in one physical location but Advanced Life  
Support
is dispatched from a second location.  (I know this is weird but New  
Jersey
is a home rule state. <shrug>)  The county 9-1-1 call center ties all of
this together and coordinates dispatching of multiple resources  
between all
of the physical dispatcher locations.

2. 9-1-1 lines take priority.  A motor vehicle accident on a busy  
road can
generate 50-100 cell calls to a dispatch center.  The standard at our  
county
9-1-1 center is that 9-1-1 calls must be answered by the third ring.   
On the
first ring, it rings only at call takers desk(s).  On rings two and  
three it
rings so every dispatcher in the call center hears it.  If no one  
picks it
up by the third ring, the call automatically transfers to next adjacent
county call center.  This is to insure that 9-1-1 calls are answered as
quickly as possible. The same rule does not apply to 7 digit direct  
numbers.
The local numbers for dispatchers also deal with non-emergency issues,
taking phone reports, questions about court dates, etc. and may not be
answered quickly during a crunch.

3.  The 9-1-1 dispatch center can also add additional resources.  For
instance, in our area certain EMS calls trigger the addition of a fire
engine to assist with access, lifting, first response, etc.  Some calls
trigger dispatch to put aeromedical units on standby.  Having these
resources dispatched early saves time.

Again, I'm not saying it does not hurt to have a back-up plan and I  
can't
directly speak to the other reader's specific location.  However, in 12
years of doing EMS and having the direct line numbers of all of the
dispatchers, when I've needed help I've always called 9-1-1  
(preferably from
a landline) as it offers the most failsafe method of insuring quick  
access
to help.

-Ed


-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 12:04 PM
To: ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence



Begin forwarded message:

From: Liz Ditz <ponytrax () batnet com>
Date: December 22, 2005 11:19:16 AM EST
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

Dave, E911 is all well and good, but a prudent person has a backup plan.

  I live and travel about  in Silicon Valley, which has a patchwork
of emergency responders.  In my car (and more importantly, my teen
daughter's car) I keep a list of the direct numbers for emergency
dispatch for the various municipalities we travel through.   I've
also programmed in  the direct number for EMS dispatch for the stable
where she rides her horse, so if she's in an accident, or witnesses
one,  help can be summoned quickly.  (I learned this the hard way, as
911 dispatch was very slow to arrive to an equestrian accident as the
dispatcher was unfamiliar with the location of the stable.)

If any of your readers are (for example) mountain bikers,  putting on
speed-dial  the direct  EMS dispatch number for the trails they
frequent is a good idea.


**********
Liz Ditz
ponytrax () batnet com

blog: http://lizditz.typepad.com

Success: fall down seven times, stand up eight.

On Dec 22, 2005, at 2:48 AM, David Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Monty Solomon <monty () roscom com>
> Date: December 21, 2005 11:15:26 PM EST
> To: undisclosed-recipient:;
> Subject: Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm / Verizon promises
> to ferret out why system broke down
>
>
> Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm
> Verizon promises to ferret out why system broke down
>
> By Douglas Belkin, Globe Staff  |  December 21, 2005
>
> At the height of a blinding afternoon snowstorm almost two weeks ago,
> the state's enhanced 911 cellphone system failed, leaving motorists
> stuck on highways unable to reach police easily.
>
> State authorities said the glitch, which appears to have been in the
> Verizon network that routes all cell 911 calls, lasted as long as 40
> minutes. The result: Users who called 911 around 3 p.m. on Dec. 9
> heard only a busy signal.
>
> ''Something jammed the system. The calls never got through," said
> Edward M. Merrick Jr., the chairman of the standards committee for
> the Statewide Emergency Telecommunications Board, which oversees the
> system. ''It's a serious concern."
>
> The breakdown coincided with a Northeaster that barrelled across
> Massachusetts, icing roads, crippling traffic, and decreasing
> visibility to just a few feet. Parts of the state received 15 inches
> of snow and experienced wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour.
>
> The hour before the storm hit, the State Police enhanced 911 center
> in Framingham answered about 500 calls. But between 3 p.m. and 4
> p.m., operators received fewer than 200. It is not clear how many
> calls failed, but it appears a switch that controls which cell calls
> enter the 911 system was overwhelmed and shut down. Land-line calls
> still went through.
>
> Merrick was aware that call volume had lessened during the storm, but
> until he was contacted by the Globe, he attributed it to not having
> enough operators on duty. It was only after some inquiries, and 10
> days after the storm, that Merrick learned the problem may have been
> on Verizon's end.
>
> ...
>
> http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2005/12/21/
> cellphone_911_calls_failed_in_big_storm/
>
>
>
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