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This Isn't Your Father's
911
by Sheriff Ted Mink
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Cell
tower
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We all know that 911 is the
number to call in the United States to get help in an emergency. A 911 call
goes to the emergency dispatch center closest to the caller, and trained
dispatchers send police, firefighters or paramedics to the caller's
location.
The shift to mobile phones and VoIP* lines has significantly changed
emergency call-taking. Today in Jefferson County, nearly 80 percent of
incoming 911 calls come from mobile phones and VoIP lines, while the rest
come from traditional land lines. Calls from land lines have always
provided dispatchers with information about the location of the caller.
Calls from mobile phones and VoIP phones provide much less.
Calling 911 Today
When you call 911 from a mobile or VoIP phone, the call-taker will usually
only know your phone company and phone number. The call-taker may know the
general area you're calling from, but the area could be several square
miles. You'll have to provide specific information so that the call-taker
can send help to the right place. If you're in a building, try to provide
the street address. If you're on a roadway, try to provide the cross
streets, mile marker information or a well-known landmark. We can't help you
if we can't find you!
e911: Why We're
Calling You in an Emergency
In Jefferson County, the e911 system (sometimes called "reverse
911") allows us to call citizens to warn them of danger. With it, we
can simultaneously call multiple phones within an area that we designate,
to warn residents of flood, fire, tornadoes, chemical spills, or dangerous
suspects. Within moments, calls reach the affected community to deliver
warnings and critical safety instructions.
If you receive an e911 call, the voice on the line will let you know it's a
message from the Sheriff's Office. Also, your caller ID should display our
agency's name and a call-back number. The e911 system works with all phones
that have a TDD line (for the hearing impaired). If you have a telephone
zapper used to block out telemarketers, or if your phone is blocked to
unknown callers, you will not receive e911 calls.
Opt In to e911
The e911 system calls numbers from two databases. One is the county's 911
database, with all listed and unlisted land lines. If you have a land line,
it is automatically included in this database.
The second is a new database of mobile phone and VoIP numbers - established
in 2009 - whose owners have opted in to receive the calls. If you don't
have a traditional land line phone, or would like to receive a cell phone
call in addition to the call on your land line phone, consider registering
for this free service. To register, visit our Web site: www.jeffcosheriff.com.
*Voice over Internet
Protocol, or VoIP, are "telephone" communications transmitted
over the Internet, instead of traditional phone lines. If you have a
"bundled" Internet/phone/TV service, you probably have a VoIP
line.
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