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911 (emergency telephone number)

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This article is about the North American emergency telephone number. For the emergency telephone number in the Philippines, see911 (Philippines).For emergency telephone numbers generally, seeEmergency telephone number.For other uses, see911 (disambiguation).

A dispatcher takes an emergency call at theJackson, Tennessee,9-1-1 Dispatch Center.
Global applications ofITU-approved[1]emergency telephone numbers (this map may not be entirely correct):
112
911
112 and 911
Other number, no redirection or redirection for mobile phones only

911,sometimes written9-1-1,is anemergency telephone numberforArgentina,Canada,the Dominican Republic,Jordan,Mexico,Pakistan,Palau,Panama,thePhilippines,Sint Maarten,theUnited States,[2]andUruguay,as well as theNorth American Numbering Plan(NANP), one of eightN11 codes.Like other emergency numbers around the world, this number is only intended for use in emergency circumstances. Using it for any other purpose (such as making false orprank calls) is a crime in most jurisdictions. Penalties for abuse or misuse of 911 can range from probation or community service to fines and jail time. Offenders can also be ordered to undergo counseling and have their use of telephones restricted or suspended for a period time as a condition of probation.

In over 98 percent of locations in Argentina,Sint Maarten,Panama, Belize, Anguilla, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jordan, Ethiopia, Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Uruguay, United States, Palau, Mexico, Tonga and Canada, dialing911from any telephone will link the caller to an emergencydispatchoffice—called apublic safety answering point(PSAP) by the telecommunications industry—which can sendemergency respondersto the caller's location in an emergency. In approximately 96 percent of the United States, theenhanced 911system automatically pairs caller numbers with a physical address.[3]

In the Philippines, the911emergency hotline has been available to the public since August 1, 2016, starting inDavao City.It is the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.[4]It replaces the previous emergency number117used outside Davao City.

As of 2017, a 911 system is in use in Mexico, and Argentina where any implementation in different states and municipalities is being conducted. Venezuela also has a 911 emergency service called VEN911. As of 2023, it has been in operation for almost 10 years.[5]

History

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The first use of a national emergency telephone number began in the United Kingdom in 1937 using the number999,which continues to this day.[6]In the United States, the first 911 service was established by theAlabama Telephone Companyand the first call was made inHaleyville, Alabama,in 1968 byAlabama Speaker of the HouseRankin Fiteand answered byU.S. RepresentativeTom Bevill.[2][7]In Canada, 911 service was adopted in 1972, and the first 911 call occurred after a 1974 roll-out inLondon, Ontario.[8]

In the United States, the push for the development of a nationwide American emergency telephone number came in 1957 when theNational Association of Fire Chiefsrecommended that a single number be used for reporting fires.[9]The first city in North America to use a central emergency number was the Canadian city ofWinnipeg,Manitoba, in 1959, which instituted the change at the urging ofStephen Juba,Mayor of Winnipeg at the time.[10]Winnipeg initially used 999 as the emergency number[11]but switched numbers when 911 was proposed by the United States.

In 1964, an attack on a woman in New York City,Kitty Genovese,helped to greatly increase the urgency to create a central emergency number.The New York Timesfalsely reported that nobody had called the police in response to Genovese's cries for help. Some experts theorized that one source of reluctance to call police was due to the complexity of doing so; any calls to the police would go to a local precinct, and any response might depend on which individual sergeant or other ranking personnel might handle the call.[12][13][14][15][16]

In 1967, thePresident's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justicerecommended the creation of a single number that could be used nationwide for reporting emergencies. TheFederal Communications Commissionthen met withAT&Tin November 1967 in order to choose the number.[9]

In 1968, the number was agreed upon. AT&T chose the number911,which was simple, easy to remember, dialed quickly (999, with therotary dialphones in place at the time, would take longer), and because of the middle 1, which indicated a special number (see also4-1-1and6-1-1), worked well with the phone systems at the time.[9]At the time, this announcement only affected theBell Systemtelephone companies; independent phone companies were not included in the emergency telephone plan. Alabama Telephone Company decided to implement it ahead of AT&T, choosingHaleyville, Alabama,as the location.[17]

AT&T made its first implementation inHuntington, Indianaon March 1, 1968. However, the rollout of 911 service took many years. For example, although theCity of Chicago, Illinois,had access to 911 service as early as 1976, theIllinois Commerce Commissiondid not authorize telephone service providerIllinois Bellto offer 911 to the Chicago suburbs until 1981.[18]Implementation was not immediate even then; by 1984, only eight Chicago suburbs inCook Countyhad 911 service.[19]As late as 1989, at least 28 Chicago suburbs still lacked 911 service; some of those towns had previously elected to decline 911 service due to costs and—according to emergency response personnel—failure to recognize the benefits of the 911 system.[20]

Regarding national U.S. coverage, by 1979, 26% of the U.S. population could dial the number. This increased to 50% by 1987 and 93% by 2000.[9]As of March 2022, 98.9% of the U.S. population has access.[21]

Conversion to 911 in Canada began in 1972, and as of 2018 virtually all areas (except for some rural areas, such asNunavut[22]) are using 911. As of 2008,each year Canadians make twelve million calls to 911.[23]On November 4, 2019, theNorthwest Territorieslaunched the 911 service across the territory with the ability to receive service in the territory's 11official languages.[24]

On September 15, 2010, AT&T announced that theState of Tennesseehad approved a service to support aText-to-911trial statewide, where AT&T would be able to allow its users to send text messages to 911 PSAPs.[25]

MostBritish Overseas Territoriesin theCaribbeanuse the North American Numbering Plan;Anguilla,Bermuda, theBritish Virgin Islands,and theCayman Islandsuse 911.

Mexico switched its emergency phone number from 066 to 911 in 2016 and 2017.[26][27]

Enhanced 911

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Main article:Enhanced 911

Enhanced 911(E-911or E911) automatically gives thedispatcherthe caller's location, if available.[3]Enhanced 911 is available in most areas, including approximately 96 percent of the U.S.

In all North American jurisdictions, special legislation permits emergency operators to obtain a 911 caller's telephone number and location information.[28]This information is gathered by mapping the calling phone number to an address in a database. This database function is known as Automatic Location Identification (ALI).[29]The database is generally maintained by the local telephone company, under a contract with the PSAP. Each telephone company has its standards for the formatting of the database. Most ALI databases have a companion database known as the MSAG, Master Street Address Guide. The MSAG describes address elements including the exact spellings of street names, and street number ranges.

To locate amobile telephonegeographically, there are two general approaches: some form ofradiolocationfrom thecellular network,or to use aGlobal Positioning Systemreceiver built into the phone itself. Both approaches are described by theradio resource location services protocol(LCS protocol). Depending on the mobile phone hardware, one of two types of location information can be provided to the operator. The first is Wireless Phase One (WPH1), which is the tower location and the direction the call came from, and the second is Wireless Phase Two (WPH2), which provides an estimated GPS location.

In response toE-911challenges inherent to IP phone systems, specialized technology has been developed to locate callers in the event of an emergency. Some of these new technologies allow the caller to be located down to the specific office on a particular floor of a building. These technologies support a wide range of organizations with IP telephony networks. These offerings are available for service providers offering hostedIP PBXand residentialVoice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) services. This increasingly important segment in IP phone technology includesE-911call routing services and automated phone tracking appliances. Many of these services have been established according to FCC, CRTC, and NENA i2 standards, to help enterprises and service providers reduce liability concerns and meetE-911regulations.[30]

The enhanced 911 System

Computer-aided dispatch

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Main article:Computer-aided dispatch

911 dispatchers usecomputer-aided dispatch(CAD) to record a log of EMS, police and fire services. It can either be used to send messages to the dispatched via a mobile data terminal (MDT) and/or used to store and retrieve data (i.e. radio logs, field interviews, client information, schedules, etc.). A dispatcher may announce the call details to field units over a two-way radio. Some systems communicate using a two-way radio system's selective calling features.

CAD systems may send text messages with call-for-service details to Alpha numeric pagers or wireless telephony text services like SMS.

Funding

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In the United States and Canada, 911 is typically funded via monthly fees on telephone customers.Telephone companies,including wireless carriers, may be entitled to apply for and receive reimbursements for costs of their compliance with laws requiring that their networks be compatible with 911. Fees depend on locality and may range from around $.25 to $3.00 per month, per line.[31]The average wireless 911 fee is around $.72.

Monthly fees usually do not vary based on the customer's usage of the network, though some states do cap the number of lines subject to the fee for large multi-line businesses.

These fees defray the cost of providing the technical means for connecting callers to a 911 dispatch center; emergency services themselves are funded separately.

Problems

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Inactive telephones

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Some U.S. states required that all landline telephones connected to the network be able to reach 911, even if normal service has been disconnected (as for nonpayment).[32]In the U.S., carriers are required to connect 911 calls from inactive mobile phones.[33]Similar rules apply in Canada.[34]However, dispatchers may not receivePhase II informationfor inactive lines, and may not be able to call back if an emergency call is disconnected.[35]

Cell phones

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About 70 percent of 911 calls came from cell phones in 2014,[36]and finding out where the calls came from requiredtriangulation.AUSA Todaystudy showed that where information was compiled on the subject, many of the calls from cell phones did not include information allowing the caller to be located. Chances of getting as close as 100 feet (30 metres) were higher in areas with more towers. But if a call was made from a large building, even that would not be enough to precisely locate the caller. New federal rules, which service providers helped with, require location information for 40 percent of calls by 2017 and 80 percent by 2021.[37]In addition, if a cellphone is connected to a cell tower in a different jurisdiction, which can happen often in a border community, the 911 call will go to the wrong dispatch center.[38]

As of 2018,80 percent of 911 calls in the United States were made on cell phones, but the ability to do so by text messaging was not required.Text-to-911was first used inIowain 2009. According to the FCC, only 1,600 of about 6,000 911 call centers had the ability, up from 650 in 2016.[39]

Certain cell phone operating systems allow users to access local emergency services by calling any country's version of 911.[40]

Internet telephony

[edit]
Main article:Voice over IP

If 911 is dialed from a commercial VoIP service, depending on how the provider handles such calls, the call may not go anywhere at all, or it may go to a non-emergency number at the public safety answering point associated with the billing or service address of the caller.[41]Because a VoIP adapter can be plugged into any broadband internet connection, a caller could be hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home, yet if the call goes to an answering point at all, it would be the one associated with the caller's address and not the actual location of the call. It may never be possible to reliably and accurately identify the location of a VoIP user, even if a GPS receiver is installed in the VoIP adapter, since such phones are normally used indoors, and thus may be unable to get a signal.

In March 2005, commercial VoIP providerVonagewas sued by theTexas Attorney General,who alleged that their website and other sales and service documentation did not make clear enough that Vonage's provision of 911 service was not done traditionally. In May 2005, the FCC issued an order requiring VoIP providers to offer 911 service to all their subscribers within 120 days of the order being published.[3]In Canada, the federal regulators have requiredInternet service providers(ISPs) to provide an equivalent service to the conventional PSAPs, but even these encounter problems with caller location, since their databases rely on company billing addresses.[42]

VoIP services operating in Canada are required to provide 911 emergency service.[43]In April 2008, an 18-month-old boy inCalgary, Alberta,died after aTorontoVoIP provider's 911 operator had an ambulance dispatched to the address of the family's previous abode inMississauga, Ontario.[44]

Emergencies across jurisdictions

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When a caller dials 911, the call is routed to the local public safety answering point. However, if the caller is reporting an emergency in another jurisdiction, the dispatchers may or may not know how to contact the proper authorities. The publicly posted phone numbers for most police departments in the U.S. are non-emergency numbers that often specifically instruct callers to dial 911 in case of emergency, which does not resolve the issue for callers outside of the jurisdiction.

NENA has developed the North American 911 Resource Database which includes the National PSAP Registry. PSAPs can query this database to obtain emergency contact information of a PSAP in another county or state when it receives a call involving another jurisdiction. Online access to this database is provided at no charge for authorized local and state 911 authorities.[45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"911, 108 and 112 are the world's standard emergency numbers, ITU decides".The Verge.Archivedfrom the original on April 16, 2021.RetrievedJuly 26,2018.
  2. ^ab"911 and E911 Services | Federal Communications Commission".fcc.gov.Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 30,2024.
  3. ^abc"9-1-1 Service".Federal Communications Commission.Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2015.RetrievedOctober 9,2015.
  4. ^"911 Philippines is ready!".Manila Bulletin.MB. Archived fromthe originalon August 3, 2016.RetrievedJuly 31,2016.
  5. ^Escobar, Rosanny (November 22, 2022)."VEN 9-1-1 arriba a sus 9 años de creación – Ven 911".Ven 911(in Spanish).Archivedfrom the original on February 23, 2024.RetrievedOctober 14,2023.
  6. ^"999 celebrates its 70th birthday".BT plc.June 29, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon January 14, 2009.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  7. ^"History of 9-1-1".Iredell County, NC.March 1, 1968.RetrievedJuly 15,2024.
  8. ^"SPVM History".Service de police de la Ville de Montréal.Archivedfrom the original on April 6, 2020.RetrievedDecember 1,2019.
  9. ^abcd"9-1-1 Origin & History".National Emergency Number Association.Archived fromthe originalon May 15, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 14,2018.
  10. ^Templeman, Jack."History of the Winnipeg Police - Part Five - the Fifties & Sixties".Winnipeg Police Service.Archivedfrom the original on June 16, 2017.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  11. ^"Winnipeggers call 999 for help".CBC News. Archived fromthe originalon November 5, 2012.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  12. ^"History of 911: America’s Emergency Service, Before and After Kitty Genovese",January 19, 2017, by Carolyn Abate in Beyond the Films, PBS.ArchivedMay 20, 2021, at theWayback Machine.
  13. ^"How the Death of Kitty Genovese Birthed 911 and Neighborhood Watches".Inside Edition.March 21, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2021.
  14. ^Darata, Heather (April 2, 2018)."Adoption Of 911".IAED Journal.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2021.
  15. ^Thomas, Kristin (June 8, 2018)."The murder of" Kitty "Genovese that led to the Bystander Effect & the 911 system".The Vintage News.Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2021.
  16. ^"Kitty Genovese",August 21, 2018, History.ArchivedMay 20, 2021, at theWayback Machine.
  17. ^Allen, Gary."History of 911".Dispatch Magazine.County of Union, South Carolina. Archived fromthe originalon September 23, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 14,2018.
  18. ^"Illinois Bell to offer 911 system to suburbs".Chicago Tribune.April 23, 1981. Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2015.RetrievedNovember 15,2015.
  19. ^Thomas Powers, William Recktenwald (April 6, 1984)."Suburbs scurrying to get quick-dial emergency systems".Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2015.RetrievedNovember 15,2015.
  20. ^Cekay, Thomas (April 2, 1989)."911 service becomes No. 1 on suburb referendum list".Chicago Tribune.Archived fromthe originalon November 17, 2015.RetrievedNovember 15,2015.
  21. ^"9-1-1 Statistics".National Emergency Number Association.Archivedfrom the original on March 11, 2022.RetrievedMarch 26,2022.
  22. ^"Community Directory – Fire/Emergency Numbers".Government of Nunavut. Archived fromthe originalon February 16, 2018.RetrievedDecember 31,2017.
  23. ^Robertson, Grant (December 19, 2008)."Canada's 9-1-1 emergency".The Globe and Mail.Archivedfrom the original on November 23, 2009.RetrievedNovember 20,2009.
  24. ^Cohen, Sidney."'Growing pains' expected when N.W.T.'s 911 service goes live on Monday ".CBC.Archivedfrom the original on August 22, 2021.RetrievedAugust 22,2021.
  25. ^"AT&T and State of Tennessee to Launch Text to 9-1-1 Trial".PR Newswire. September 5, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on September 9, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 17,2013.
  26. ^"Mexico will start first phase of emergency 911 in October".The Yucatan Times.August 8, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on February 15, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 14,2018.
  27. ^"Por primera vez México cuenta con datos sobre llamadas al 911".La Razón(in Mexican Spanish). July 24, 2017. Archived fromthe originalon February 15, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 14,2018.
  28. ^"Washington State Legislature website".Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2012.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  29. ^"U.S. Patent#6526125 (PatentStorm website)".Archived fromthe originalon June 16, 2013.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  30. ^"Emergency Gateway Datasheet"(PDF).911 Enable. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on September 14, 2012.
  31. ^"Range of 911 User Fees"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on January 30, 2017.RetrievedNovember 3,2008.
  32. ^"TELEPHONE PENETRATION BY INCOME BY STATE"(PDF).Fcc.gov.Archived(PDF)from the original on August 10, 2011.RetrievedJuly 8,2012.
  33. ^"Denton County (Ga.) 9-1-1 website".Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2014.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  34. ^"Calling 9-1-1 (City of Calgary website)".Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2012.RetrievedOctober 16,2008.
  35. ^"Old cell phones give dispatchers headache".Deseret News.April 23, 2007.Archivedfrom the original on December 4, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 11,2012.
  36. ^"9-1-1 Wireless Services".Federal Communications Commission.May 26, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on October 17, 2014.RetrievedApril 1,2015.
  37. ^Boyle, John (February 24, 2015). "Calling 9-1-1 on a cell? They won't know your address".Asheville Citizen-Times.p. A1.
  38. ^"Important Info about Calling 911 from a Cell Phone!".Montgomery Township, PA.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2023.RetrievedJune 27,2023.
  39. ^Anderson, Mae (October 31, 2018)."Why is it so hard to text 911?".Associated Press.Archivedfrom the original on December 5, 2018.RetrievedDecember 4,2018.
  40. ^Earl, Jennifer (March 22, 2017)."iPhone users warned about potentially dangerous" Siri 108 "prank".CBS News.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on October 24, 2019.RetrievedOctober 23,2019.
  41. ^"911VoIp FAQs".Archived fromthe originalon March 17, 2005.RetrievedNovember 3,2008.
  42. ^"CRTC Decision on 9-1-1 Emergency Services for VoIP Service Providers"(Press release).Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.April 4, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon April 6, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 13,2009.
  43. ^"Telecom Decision CRTC 2005–21".Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.Government of Canada. April 4, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on April 10, 2017.RetrievedApril 29,2017.
  44. ^"Calgary Toddler Dies after Family Calls 9-1-1 on Internet Phone".CBC News.April 30, 2008.Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 13,2009.
  45. ^"NENA 9-1-1 Resource DB".Archived fromthe originalon October 8, 2009.RetrievedNovember 6,2009.

Further reading

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  • T. I. Dayharsh, T. J. Yung, D. K. Hunter and S. C. Ivy, "Update on the national emergency number 911,"IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology,vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 292-297, Nov. 1979, doi: 10.1109/T-VT.1979.23804.
[edit]
Look up911in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • 9-1-1 Services,Web site of 9-1-1 Services in Canada.
  • 911.gov,Web site of the 911 Program in the United States.
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