Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
Date: December 22, 2005 5:09:54 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: Liz Ditz <ponytrax () batnet com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Cellphone 911 calls failed in big storm: Prudence

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Liz Ditz <ponytrax () batnet com>
> 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.  ...


It may be even worse, when calling 911 on a cell-phone!

Unless they (the infamous "they") have changed it since the last time  
I checked (in the San Francisco Bay Area), 911 calls on cell-phones  
are ALL connected to the California Highway Patrol's emergency  
operators.

Even the MANY 911 cell-calls that have NOTHING to do with a highway  
-- or even street-way -- emergency.


And they've been notoriously delay-prone, at least in the past (donno  
'bout now).  (They also have to deal with the other kinds of  
"emergency" calls:
  I'm lost.  Can you help me?
  I'm at Polk and Market.  What's the best way to get to the Cow  
Palace?
  Is the traffic very heavy on 101 in Menlo Park?
  I'm on the Golden Gate Bridge, but don't have the $5 toll-fee.   
What do I do?
  I heard there was a wreck on 280 near 92?  Did it involve a LeBaron?
Etc etc etc.)

Once they finally get to your 911 cell-call, if it does NOT concern a  
vehicular or traffic emergency, CHP-911 then has to transfer you to a  
local-jurisdiction 911 operator -- and may or may not transfer it to  
the right one for your needs.

Geee ... and the 911-call concept seemed like such a good idea. (Back  
in the days of landline phones wired into fixed locations.)

--jim


[No doubt this will be yet another excuse why the government "needs"  
to be able to track the location of every cell-phone, all the time  
it's turned-on.  ;-)  ]


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