[billethkid]

I tried to do a search and was unable to find anything that fit.

Many folks in TV have eliminated their land line phones. Some replacing the land line with voice over the internet....Ooma for example. Others have defaulted back to using their cell phones only for everything.

From what I understand about our Ooma set up is when we originally registered the number and personal information, the address is registered in their emergency notification system.
Hence 911 will dispatch to our home address.
Should be no problem if works as stated.

Cell phones get a little muddier. Again my understanding is a cell phone 911 call goes to the agency closest to the tower being used (as explained to me).....then gets routed to proper address.

If a smart phone is GPS capable does it locate by GPS?

Any and all comments to help understand better will be appreciated.

[villagetinker]

I used 911 once in TV, and when I made the first call (by cell phone), I was in Sumter County (very close to Lake County), the call was automatically routed to Sumter County. As I was driving I realized I had made a mistake on the directions I gave, and I made a second call, by this time I had crossed into Lake county, and I was routed to Lake County dispatch who then transferred me back to Sumter county. It really worked well, this cell phone actually has a Pennsylvania phone number (area code), so I was very impressed at how well it worked.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by billethkid

<snip>Cell phones get a little muddier. Again my understanding is a cell phone 911 call goes to the agency closest to the tower being used (as explained to me).....then gets routed to proper address.

If a smart phone is GPS capable does it locate by GPS?

Negative. When calling 911 using your cell phone, be prepared to explain your location.

[villagetinker]

I may be wrong, but I think centers that have E911 actually get GPS info from the phone. Most new phones turn on GPS automatically when 911 is called, had this happen when my car (paired by Bluetooth to my cell phone) was involved in an accident, it had already called 911 BEFORE the car came to a complete stop. No injuries to us, $2500 to the car. If you want more info on this Google E911.

[TheDude]

just tell them where you live. At Pickleball 101 one of the first things they tell you is to tell 911 the address not the rec center, so if you call 911 you need to say where you are. If you think this is too much, then get a local cell phone with your address. All win

[784caroline]

From experience..when you call 911 from a cell phone you need to tell them the County you are in and the specific address. 911 Cell phone calls near a county border can go to the nearest county and not the one you are in......they always "try" to determine you location and forward it to the right 911 center..but "stuff" happens and it can get lost. WE specifically told them a Rec Center by name for we did not know the specific address location and it was close to 20 minutes before an ambulance/fire or police showed up . Ambulance drivers are not always familiar with TV landmarks such as Rec Center names for the drivers can come from Coleman and are filling in.
SO when calling in an emergency via a cell phone ALWAYS tell them the specific address and have someone follow it up with a landline call..not just more cell calls to 911.

[texasfal]

What if you are having a stroke, heart attack or whatever and are unable to tell them your address?

[Sumter911]

Good afternoon folks,

Location technology for cell phone calls to 911 comes in two flavors - network based and handset based. The former relies on triangulation between a minimum of three cell towers, the latter relies on GPS technology built in to the phone. Handset location tends to be more accurate than network based.

However, there is another piece, and that is the time it takes for your wireless provider to ascertain your location regardless of the technology used. Calls will usually come in to the comm center with what is known as "Phase 1" location information - this is strictly the cell tower, sector and provider carrying the call along with a callback number. It takes another 30-45 seconds under optimum conditions for the "phase 2" data to be collected by your provider and relayed to the comm center - this provides our call takers with your X/Y location and populates it on the county map.

In addition, if the cell tower in question is on or close to a county border, it is possible a sector is set to route to the opposite county you are located in. The call takers in the tri-county area are fully aware of this and are trained to recognize when a call needs to be transferred to a neighboring county and will do so as quickly as possible - BUT - they will still verify the location they see you at on the map is indeed your location. There is a margin of error with the location information and the FCC is quite generous with how big that margin can be (much to the chagrin of every 911 coordinator and call taker in the state).

The other common question is folks with non-local area codes on their cell phone - the tower system is area code agnostic and will route your 911 call no matter what the area code based on which tower, sector and provider you are "connected" to when you call.

I would be happy to address any other questions or discuss this further in this forum, or if you want to discuss Sumter County 911 related matters offline you can reach me at 352-569-1600.

Thank you,
Silas

[TheDude]

Remember the commercials?

LIFE ALERT official website - I've fallen and I can't get up!(R)

But 911 can find your location. It may take some work however if they couldn't, then kids could be calling 911 fake calls and bomb threats from California to a house in Texas. SWATing happens, but its more complex and not silence or off-speech.

Many people use wifi in their home, and when you call from home it uses your wifi instead of your cell service. I do this.

People get found in the woods all the time with just by the cell phone.

So, bottom line, if you are alone and something happens and you can call 911, do it and then leave the phone on. If you can't, and maybe you are at risk, then think of getting something like the 'I've falling and I can't get up' stuff. I mean, if you stroke out then what makes you think you can dial 911?

[billethkid]

For those have a GM vehicle with Onstar one can always hit the emergency button and they will come right to the location of the car.

[texasfal]

I actually worked as a telephone operator and I took a call from a woman having a stroke. She was able to knock the phone onto the floor and hit "O" but she couldn't speak except for grunts and moans. I was able to use her telephone number and a reverse directory and send an ambulance. Unfortunately she died and they found her on the floor with the phone next to her. Sorry I'm keeping my landline.

[pooh]

Originally Posted by Sumter911

Good afternoon folks,

Location technology for cell phone calls to 911 comes in two flavors - network based and handset based. The former relies on triangulation between a minimum of three cell towers, the latter relies on GPS technology built in to the phone. Handset location tends to be more accurate than network based.

However, there is another piece, and that is the time it takes for your wireless provider to ascertain your location regardless of the technology used. Calls will usually come in to the comm center with what is known as "Phase 1" location information - this is strictly the cell tower, sector and provider carrying the call along with a callback number. It takes another 30-45 seconds under optimum conditions for the "phase 2" data to be collected by your provider and relayed to the comm center - this provides our call takers with your X/Y location and populates it on the county map.

In addition, if the cell tower in question is on or close to a county border, it is possible a sector is set to route to the opposite county you are located in. The call takers in the tri-county area are fully aware of this and are trained to recognize when a call needs to be transferred to a neighboring county and will do so as quickly as possible - BUT - they will still verify the location they see you at on the map is indeed your location. There is a margin of error with the location information and the FCC is quite generous with how big that margin can be (much to the chagrin of every 911 coordinator and call taker in the state).

The other common question is folks with non-local area codes on their cell phone - the tower system is area code agnostic and will route your 911 call no matter what the area code based on which tower, sector and provider you are "connected" to when you call.

I would be happy to address any other questions or discuss this further in this forum, or if you want to discuss Sumter County 911 related matters offline you can reach me at 352-569-1600.

Thank you,
Silas

Thank you!

[simpkinp]

I had occasion to call 911 for my friend who had fallen and they first asked his county. He lives in Amelia and I guess that is close to Lake County. They were very efficient and reaponded quickly. Wonderful people.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

From experience..when you call 911 from a cell phone you need to tell them the County you are in and the specific address. 911 Cell phone calls near a county border can go to the nearest county and not the one you are in......they always "try" to determine you location and forward it to the right 911 center..but "stuff" happens and it can get lost. WE specifically told them a Rec Center by name for we did not know the specific address location and it was close to 20 minutes before an ambulance/fire or police showed up . Ambulance drivers are not always familiar with TV landmarks such as Rec Center names for the drivers can come from Coleman and are filling in.
SO when calling in an emergency via a cell phone ALWAYS tell them the specific address and have someone follow it up with a landline call..not just more cell calls to 911.

Which I definitely don't understand because they should have all that in their GPS. heck, I can get to a rec center and more using my TV GPS app. It's ridiculous that they don't have that information on hand. We too had to wait a half hour for EMS to find us at Hibiscus pickleball courts after a lady fainted. If it had been a heart attack situation, it might have been too late.

[Yucatan2]

I have to admit, I have no idea the address of any rec center I go to....should I have that information in my phone in case I need to call 911?