911 call location!!!!!

[Fuddy1952]

Something to check out. Yesterday while visiting my Mom, she's 91, I connected a medical alert system for her. It works great, one you buy so no monthly fee. She can press button she carries and it dials up to four numbers and 911 (If necessary...no answer from any of the four or if answering party doesn't press 5. Also anyone can press 911 while activated). So I programmed numbers, first is a caregiver right next door. I called dispatch center beforehand, they said ok to test.
Mom has lived there since 1939...had same phone number for 50 years or so.
Problem is since she's on straight talk wireless calling 911 that address doesn't show up. I got it straightened out, but point is it's a good idea to verify calling 911 will show the address!
As I told dispatch, someone could be having a stroke, unable to talk, assistance wouldn't know where call was from.

 

[vvanders]

Interesting, most of the E911 stuff is done via cell signal triangulation(CDMA needs to know your "distance" to be able to modulate power to the base station and keep the codes relatively even). Did they say what the root-cause was or did they just associate that number with the address?

 

[Streetcar]

In Cincinnati we just had a case of kid trapped at school. Because 911 just had address police did not find kid. Check to make sure device is transmitting location also

 

[RandyT]

Read not to long ago that if you call 911 with a cell phone and don't give a physical address, there is a 20% chance that it will triangular the correct location. there was a news report a few years ago where they called using a cell phone from the 911 center and asked where there location showed up. It showed at a pizza place 4 blocks away.

 

[Phillip w]

Read not to long ago that if you call 911 with a cell phone and don't give a physical address, there is a 20% chance that it will triangular the correct location. there was a news report a few years ago where they called using a cell phone from the 911 center and asked where there location showed up. It showed at a pizza place 4 blocks away.

I don't know, but I have called 911 twice with my cell phone. Once I called and told them I was on the "old whiting cutoff". Unfortunately the 911 dispatcher had no idea what I was referring to even though the road has been called the "old whiting cutoff" every since I can remember. I don't know the official name of that road to this day. The 911 office "pinged" my phone and had my location in a matter of seconds.
Another time we had an accident out of state. We knew where we were, but not exactly. Once again, the dispatch "pinged " my phone and had my location in seconds.
It has been about 10-15 years ago when a couple got stranded in a blizzard up in Nebraska. The couple did not know exactly were the were and were call 911 for help. The couple froze to death because they could not be located. That is when 911 started implementing this "ping' technology.

 

[TractorGuy]

I f I allow my phone to show location it seems I am in S. FL or TX . In other words the tower I am connected to doesn't have anything to do with how my location is perceived on the internet. Not sure what 911 does different that correctly interprets location.

 

[Captain Dirty]

In Massachusetts land line 911 calls go to a local dispatcher and are ID'd with an address. Cellular 911 calls go to a regional (state-wide) office. The first question that office asks is "What town is your emergency in?" I made a cellular 911 call that went on for over 10 minutes. The dispatcher wouldn't believe my description of the location because the call was pinged off a cell tower 20 miles away across the open water of Boston Outer Harbor. I now have a "contact" using the 10-digit, pre-911 number of the local (contiguous 4 town) dispatcher figuring I can make the local call and get a faster response.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve had to call 911 a few times. They’ve always confirmed the address and have always been right.

 

[Streetcar]

I have had several 911 calls skip across river to Kentucky . Dispatcher quickly transfer call to correct state

 

[Gunny]

There was a 911 issue a few years ago when a house caught on fire, I believe the fire was on a River Road in Northern Kentucky. When the 911 operator asked the first question "Where is the emergency located?", the caller simply stated an address on River Road and declared a house fire. Since the cell call was picked up by a 911 operator in Cincinnati, Ohio, she dispatched the fire department to the same address on River Road in Cincinnati.
The people with the burning home stood outside and saw all the fire department equipment show up across the river while their house burned to the ground.