More than 50 million calls a year are being made to 911 operators from cellphones. That’s more than arrive from traditional land lines. It sometimes leads to serious confusion for dispatchers, police and firefighters.
When a caller dials 911 from a cellphone, there’s no certainty that the dispatcher can determine the caller’s location. For those who are unable to speak or are unsure of their whereabouts, it’s a gaping hole in an otherwise successful safety net.
In Colorado, a caller’s health may depend entirely on their location. Or on the type of phone they carry.
Dispatchers who receive an emergency call from a landline can immediately see the phone number and address. But with cellphones, the location of a caller can be pinpointed anywhere from within a few yards to up to several miles. That’s hardly helpful.
The federal program to close the gap is known as Enhanced 911. E911 has two phases. Phase I gives dispatchers the cell number and the location of the cell tower the phone is using. Phase II, which needs to be implemented by local 911 authorities and wireless carriers, can show the caller’s location on a map, accurate to within 50 to 300 meters. Denver’s 911 system is at Phase II, but only for “Phase II-compliant” phones.
“We’re trying to move to Phase II as fast as possible,” said Chris Olson, who sits on the board for the 911 Resource Center for the state of Colorado. The newly formed organization is hiring an executive director, and hopes to fully address E911 concerns and Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, calls.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing several changes to the national 911 system, including tightening requirements on how accuracy of location is gauged and other rules that could lead to changes in how cellphones are made.
Years ago, the FCC allowed cellphone manufacturers to use two different location technologies to locate callers. Triangulation uses cellphone towers to help locate a caller, but there need to be three towers nearby. That’s often not the case in rural areas. The other method uses satellite technology inside the phone to track callers.
Cellphones embedded with a Global Positioning System device are Phase II-compliant. But consumers who want to be certain they have E911 capacity should ask their wireless provider if their phone model is compatible with the provider’s Phase II plan.
It will likely cost hundreds of millions to get all U.S. 911 centers to Phase II. In some areas of Colorado, cellphone users could see higher surcharges to fund the transition.
But it’s an important capability. After all, a chief reason some folks even carry cellphones is in case of an emergency.
