West Interactive Blog 911’s Most Urgent Question: Where Is Your Emergency?

There’s a reason why the first question 911 call takers typically ask callers is, “Where is your emergency?” Quickly identifying a caller’s location is critical. It allows for rescue personnel to be dispatched rapidly to the scene of an emergency. Most 911 callers don’t realize how challenging it can be for dispatchers to determine their location. If calling from home, callers may assume 911 call takers already have the location information. Of course, that’s not the case when the call is placed from a device other than a phone connected to a traditional landline. Compounding this issue is the fact that callers are not always able to provide accurate location information on their own. Therefore, it is important that Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) have access to reliable location data so they can send help to distressed callers quickly during emergencies. 911 Calls from Wireless Devices Are Harder to Locate Many 911 callers now use wireless devices to contact 911. Since these devices are not tied to an address, they do not send the same valuable location data to 911 that traditional landlines provide. An Intrado survey of 1,018 consumers between the ages of 18 to 75 across the U.S. revealed that nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans are not aware that calling 911 from a cell phone makesit harder to determine their location. The Blog 911’s Most Urgent Question: Where Is Your Emergency? appeared first on Intrado.