9-1-1 is the emergency telephone number for the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. The use of this number is for emergency circumstances only, and to use it for any other purpose (including non-emergency situations and prank calls) can be a crime.[1][2]
History
In the earliest days of telephone technology, prior to the development of the rotary dial telephone, all telephone calls were operator-assisted. To place a call, the caller was required to pick up the telephone receiver and wait for the telephone operator to answer, they would then ask to be connected to the number they wished to call, the operator would make the required connection manually, by means of a switchboard. In an emergency, the caller might simply say "Get me the police", "I want to report a fire", or "I need an ambulance/doctor". Until the dial tone telephone came into widespread use in the 1950's, one could not place calls without operator assistance.[3]
The first known experiment with a national emergency telephone number occurred in the United Kingdom in 1937, using the number 999.[4] The first city in North America to use a central emergency number (in 1959) was the Canadian city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, which instituted the change at the urging of Stephen Juba, mayor of Winnipeg at the time.[5] Winnipeg initially used 999 as the emergency number,[6] but switched numbers when 9-1-1 was proposed by the United States. In the United States, the push for the development of a nationwide American emergency telephone number came in 1957 when the National Association of Fire Chiefs recommended that a single number be used for reporting fires.[7] In 1967, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended the creation of a single number that could be used nationwide for reporting emergencies.[8] The burden then fell on the Federal Communications Commission, which then met with AT&T in November, 1967 in order to come up with a solution.
In 1968, a solution was agreed upon. AT&T chose to implement the concept, but with its unique emergency number, 9-1-1, which was brief, easy to remember, dialed easily, and worked well with the phone systems in place at the time.
Just 35 days after AT&T's announcement, on February 16, 1968, the first-ever 9-1-1 call was placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, from Haleyville City Hall, to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill, at the city's police station. Bevill reportedly answered the phone with "Hello". At the City Hall with Fite was Haleyville mayor James Whitt; at the police station with Bevill were Gallagher and Alabama Public Service Commission director Eugene "Bull" Connor. Fitzgerald was at the ATC central office serving Haleyville, and actually observed the call pass through the switching gear as the mechanical equipment clunked out "9-1-1". The phone used to answer the first 9-1-1 call, a bright red model, is now in a museum in Haleyville, while a duplicate phone is still in use at the police station.
In 1968, 9-1-1 became the national emergency number for the United States. Calling this single number provided a caller access to police, fire and ambulance services, through what would become known as a common Public-safety answering point (PSAP). The number itself, however, did not become widely known until the 1970s, and many municipalities did not have 9-1-1 service until well into the 1980s. Conversion to 9-1-1 in Canada began in 1972 and now virtually all areas, except for some rural areas, are using 9-1-1. Each year, Canadians make 12 million calls to 9-1-1.[9]
On September 5, 2012, AT&T announced that State of Tennessee has approved a service to support a Text to 9-1-1 trial statewide, where AT&T would be able to allow its users to send text messages to 9-1-1 Public-safety answering points (PSAPs).[10]
Locating callers automatically
In over 98 percent of locations in the United States and Canada, dialing "9-1-1" from any telephone will link the caller to an emergency dispatch center—called a PSAP, or Public Safety Answering Point, by the telecom industry—which can send emergency responders to the caller's location in an emergency. In most areas (approximately 96 percent of the US) enhanced 9-1-1 is available, which automatically gives dispatch the caller's location, if available.[11]
Wireline enhanced 9-1-1
In all North American jurisdictions, special privacy legislation permits emergency operators to obtain a 9-1-1 caller's telephone number and location information.[12] 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).[13] The database is generally maintained by the local telephone company, under a contract with the PSAP. Each telephone company has its own 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.
Each telephone company has at least two redundant telephone trunk lines connecting each host office telephone switch to each PSAP. These trunks are either directly connected to the PSAPs, or are connected to a telephone company central switch that intelligently distributes calls to the PSAPs. These special switches are often known as 9-1-1 Selective Routers.[14] The use of 9-1-1 Selective Routers is becoming increasingly more common, as it simplifies the interconnection between newer office switches and the many older PSAP systems.
The effectiveness of this technology may sometimes be affected by the type of telephone infrastructure that the call is routed through. The PSAP may receive calls from the telephone company on older analog trunks, which are similar to regular telephone lines but are formatted to pass the calling party number. The PSAP may also receive calls on older-style digital trunks, which must be specially formatted to pass Automatic Number Identification (ANI) information only.[15] Some upgraded PSAPs can receive calls in which the calling party number is already present. The location of the call is drawn from a computer routine which supports telephone company service billing, called the Charge Number Parameter. With some technologies, the PSAP trunking does not pass address information along with the call. Instead, only the calling party number is passed, and the PSAP must use the calling party number to look up the address in the ALI database. The ALI database is secured and separate from the public phone network, by design. Sometimes, on calls using land lines, the originating telephone number may not be passed to the PSAP at all, generally because the number is not in the ALI database. When this happens, the call receiver must confirm the location of the incoming call, and may have to redirect the call to another, more appropriate PSAP. ALI Failure occurs when the phone number is not passed or the phone number passed is not in the ALI database. In most jurisdictions, when ALI database lookup failure occurs, the telephone company has a legal mandate to fix the database entry.
Wireless enhanced 9-1-1
911 CAD
911 Dispatchers use "CAD" Computer-Aided Dispatch to keep a log of police, fire, and ems services.
In the United States
In 1996, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order requiring wireless carriers to determine and transmit the location of callers who dial 9-1-1. The FCC set up a phased program: Phase I involved sending the location of the receiving antenna for 9-1-1 calls, while Phase II sends the location of the calling telephone. Carriers were allowed to choose to implement 'handset based' location by Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar technology in each phone, or 'network based' location by means of triangulation between cell towers. The order set technical and accuracy requirements: carriers using 'handset based' technology must report handset location within 50 meters for 67% of calls, and within 150 meters for 90% of calls; carriers using 'network based' technology must report location within 100 meters for 67% of calls and 300 meters for 90% of calls.
The order also laid out milestones for implementing wireless location services. Many carriers requested waivers of the milestones, and the FCC granted many of them. By mid-2005, implementation of Phase II was generally underway, limited by the complexity of coordination required from wireless and wireline carriers, PSAPs, and other affected government agencies; and by the limited funding available to local agencies which needed to convert PSAP equipment to display location data (usually on computerized maps).
In July 2011, the FCC announced that after an eight-year implementation period, at some yet-to-be-determined date in 2019, wireless carriers will no longer be allowed to use 'network based' location techniques, requiring instead that they use 'handset based' location with GPS or similar technology.[16]
Funding 9-1-1 services
In Canada, a similar fee for service structure is regulated by the federal Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Depending on the location, counties and cities may also levy a fee, which may be in addition to, or in lieu of, the federal fee. The fees are collected by local telephone and wireless carriers through monthly surcharges on customer telephone bills. The collected fees are remitted to 9-1-1 administrative bodies, which may be statewide 9-1-1 boards, state public utility commissions, state revenue departments, or local 9-1-1 agencies.[17] These agencies disburse the funds to the Public Safety Answering Points for 9-1-1 purposes as specified in the various statutes. Telephone companies in the United States, including wireless carriers, may be entitled to apply for and receive reimbursements for costs of their compliance with federal and state laws requiring that their networks be compatible with 9-1-1 and enhanced 9-1-1.
Problems requiring further resolution
Inactive telephones
In the U.S., Federal Communications Commission rules require every telephone that can access the network to be able to dial 9-1-1, regardless of any reason that normal service may have been disconnected (including non-payment) (This only applies to states with a Do Not Disconnect policy in place. Those states must provide a "soft" or "warm" dial tone service, details can be found at FCC[18] On wired (land line) phones, this usually is accomplished by a "soft" dial tone, which sounds normal but will allow only emergency calls. Often, an unused and unpublished phone number will be issued to the line so that it will work properly. With regard to mobile phones, the rules require carriers to connect 9-1-1 calls from any mobile phone, regardless of whether that phone is currently active.[19] The same rules for inactive telephones apply in Canada.[20]
When a cellular phone is deactivated, the phone number is often recycled to a new user, or to a new phone for the same user. The deactivated cell phone will still complete a 9-1-1 call (if it has battery power) but the 9-1-1 operator will see a specialized number indicating the cell phone has been deactivated. It is usually represented with an area code of (911)-xxx-xxxx. If the call is disconnected, the 9-1-1 operator will not be able to connect to the original caller. Also because the cell phone is no longer activated, the 9-1-1 operator is often unable to get Phase II information.[21]
Internet telephony
If 9-1-1 is dialed from a commercial Voice Over Internet Protocol (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.[22] Because a VoIP adapter can be plugged into any broadband internet connection, a caller could actually 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 Internet telephony provider Vonage was sued by the Texas Attorney General, who alleged that their website and other sales and service documentation did not make clear enough that Vonage's provision of 9-1-1 service was not done in the traditional manner. In May 2005 the FCC issued an order requiring VoIP providers to offer 9-1-1 service to all their subscribers within 120 days of the order being published.[23] The order set off anxiety among many VoIP providers, who felt it will be too expensive and require them to adopt solutions that won't support future VoIP products.[citation needed] In Canada, the federal regulators have required Internet 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.[24]
In May 2010, most VoIP users who dial 9-1-1 are connected to a call center owned by their telephone company, or contracted by them. The operators are most often not trained emergency service providers, and are only there to do their best to connect the caller to the appropriate emergency service. If the call center is able to determine the location of the emergency they try to transfer the caller to the appropriate PSAP. Most often the caller ends up being directed to a PSAP in the general area of the emergency. A 9-1-1 operator at that PSAP must then determine the location of the emergency, and either send help directly, or transfer the caller to the appropriate emergency service. In April 2008, an 18-month-old boy in Calgary, Alberta died after a VoIP provider's 9-1-1 operator had an ambulance dispatched to the address of the boy's family's ISP, which is in Mississauga, Ontario.[25]
Emergencies across jurisdictions
When a caller dials 9-1-1, 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 9-1-1 in case of emergency, which does not resolve the issue for callers outside of the jurisdiction. In the age of both commercial and personal high speed Internet communications, this issue is becoming an increasing problem.
NENA has developed the North American 9-1-1 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 9-1-1 authorities.[26]
Making calls public
Most US states regulate the release of 9-1-1 recordings, see individual state laws for details.
GPS locator
According to FCC rule[which?], by 2018 all phone handsets have to be GPS-capable to better aid in pin-pointing the location of 9-1-1 calls. The rule also proposes using Geolocation software to determine the location of VOIP lines. It's still unclear what the sunset deadline for using old non-GPS phones would be.[27]
See also
- eCall
- Emergency Medical Dispatcher
- Emergency telephone
- Emergency telephone number
- Enhanced 9-1-1
- In case of emergency (ICE) entry in the mobile phone book
- Next Generation 9-1-1
- Northern 911
- Other places' emergency phone numbers:
- 000 (Australia)
- 100 (India, Israel, Nepal)
- 101 (Argentina)
- 108 (India)
- 110 (Macau - for mainland tourists)
- 111 (New Zealand)
- 112 (European Union, Macau (overseas tourists) and on GSM mobile networks worldwide)
- 117 (Philippines)
- 119 (parts of South and East Asia)
- 133 (Chile)
- 155 (Turkey)
- 190 (Brazil)
- 999 (Poland, Ireland (medical emergencies), United Kingdom (where it works parallel to 112), Hong Kong, and several other non-EU countries)
References
- ^ "Police nab fourth teen after hoax 911 calls". Cbc.ca. 2007-10-26. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "More arrests possible in prank 911 calls". Canada.com. 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "History of the Telephone (Privateline.com website)". Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ BT plc (2007-06-29). "999 celebrates its 70th birthday". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "Winnipeg Police History website". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "Winnipegers Call 999 for Help (CBC Digital Archives website". CBC News. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "911 Facts 1 (NENA website)". Archived from the original on 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ^ "911 Facts 2 (NENA website)". Archived from the original on 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ^ Robertson, Grant (2008-12-19). "Canada's 9-1-1 emergency". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on 23 November 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "AT&T and State of Tennessee to Launch Text to 9-1-1 Trial". PR Newswire. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2013-02-17.
- ^ "9-1-1 (FCC website)". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-06. |
- ^ "Washington State Legislature website". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "U.S. Patent#6526125 (PatentStorm website)". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "Enhanced 9-1-1" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "What is ANI? (website)". Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "FCC 11-107, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Santa Cruz County (Calif.) Board of Supervisors website" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "TELEPHONE PENETRATION BY INCOME BY STATE" (PDF). Fcc.gov. Retrieved 2012-07-08.
- ^ "Denton County (Ga.) 9-1-1 website". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "Calling 9-1-1 (City of Calgary website)". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ "Old cell phones give dispatchers headache". Deseret News. 2007-04-23.
- ^ "911VoIp FAQs". Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ^ "9-1-1 Services (FCC website)". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "CRTC Decision on 9-1-1 Emergency Services for VoIP Service Providers" (Press release). Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 2005-04-04. Retrieved 2009-09-13.[dead link]
- ^ CBC News (2008-04-30). "Calgary toddler dies after family calls 911 on internet phone". Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ "NENA 9-1-1 Resource DB". Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "FCC To Strengthen Location Accuracy Requirements For All Carriers Using E911 By 2019". October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
External links
- Wireless 911 Services Guide Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- How to Use 911
- Emergency Numbers Around the World from 911dispatch.com