Livingston County Michigan - 911 Central Dispatch

Background
The number of 911 calls placed by people using wireless phones has more than doubled since 1995, to over 50 million a year. Public safety personnel estimate that about 30 percent of the millions of 911 calls they receive daily are placed from wireless phones, and that percentage is growing.

For many Americans, the ability to call 911 for help in an emergency is one of the main reasons they own a wireless phone. Other wireless 911 calls come from "Good Samaritans" reporting traffic accidents, crimes or other emergencies. Prompt delivery of these and other wireless 911 calls to public safety organizations benefits the public by promoting safety of life and property.

Unique Challenges Posed by Wireless Phones
While wireless phones can be an important public safety tool, they also create unique challenges for public safety and emergency response personnel and for wireless service providers. Because wireless phones are mobile, they are not associated with one fixed location or address. A caller using a wireless phone could be calling from anywhere. While the location of the cell site closest to the caller may provide a very general indication of the caller's location, that information is not usually specific enough for rescue personnel to deliver assistance to the caller quickly.

Tips for Calling 911
The FCC's 911 rules for wireless service providers are being implemented over a period of several years. In addition, cities and states must update their PSAP's to receive caller identification and location information, a costly effort that can take several years to complete. Therefore, consumers that call 911 from a wireless phone should remember the following:

Immediately tell emergency operator the location of the emergency.
Give emergency operator your wireless phone number. If you get disconnected, the operator can call you back.
If your wireless phone is not "initialized" (you do not have a contract for wireless service) and your call gets disconnected, you MUST call the emergency operator back. The operator does not have your telephone number and cannot contact you.
Learn and use the designated number in your state for highway accidents or other non life-threatening incidents. Often, states reserve specific numbers for these types of incidents. Look in the front of your phone book for your state's designated number.
Don't set up a "speed dial" for 911. It's easy for an incorrect key to be pressed, causing problems for emergency call centers.
If your wireless phone came pre-programmed with the auto-dial 911 feature turned on, turn this feature off. Check your manual for instructions.
Lock your key pad when you're not using your wireless phone. This action also prevents accidental calls to 911.

FCC's Wireless 911 Rules

As part of its efforts to improve public safety, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted rules aimed at improving the reliability of wireless 911 services and the accuracy of the location information transmitted with a wireless 911 call. Such improvements enable emergency response personnel to provide assistance to 911 callers much more quickly.

The FCC's wireless 911 rules apply to all wireless licensees, broadband Personal Communications Service (PCS) licensees, and certain Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) licensees. Here are the specific requirements.

Basic 911 rules require wireless service providers to:

transmit all 911 calls to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), regardless of whether the caller subscribes to the provider's service or not.

Phase I Enhanced 911 (E911) rules require wireless service providers to:

within six months of a valid request by a PSAP, provide the PSAP with the telephone number of the originator of a wireless 911 call and the location of the cell site or base station transmitting the call.

Phase II E911 rules require wireless service providers to:

Within six months of a valid request by a PSAP, provide more precise location information to PSAPs; specifically, the latitude and longitude of the caller. This information must be accurate to within 50 to 300 meters depending on the type of technology used.
by September 11, 2012, provide even more precise location information, specifically, information accurate to the closest PSAP. The FCC established a five year phase-in period for this requirement to allow wireless service providers more time to develop this capability. Wireless service providers must report to the FCC annually on their progress in supplying this more accurate location information for PSAPs with Phase II E911 capability.

For More Information

FCC's wireless 911 rules

FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau - Other telecommunication issues

Livingston County Michigan Central Dispatch

300 S. Highlander Way Howell, MI 48843
Phone 517.546.4620 FAX 517.546.5008

Phase II Wireless