Do not depend upon your local 911 system to work--protect yourself and your family

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

I posted a response to the 911 story in Tucson posted by Dave Bullis. I thought it was worth repeating as a thread.

More than any other telecommunications based dispatching system, 911 has an installed base of equipment that is very old. Unless there has been a wholesale change out of systems in the last six months, there is an alarming proportion of equipment out there that is at least 10 years old. Remember this is the public sector.

The PSAP (public safety answering point) may be able to receive your call. They may or may not know where you are calling from (linkage from CAMA trunks to a 3rd party piece of gear) and they may or may not be able to dispatch the call to the appropriate entity for response.

Right now. Stop reading this and go pick up your telephone directory. Write down the appropriate seven digit emergency numbers and make a note for every telephone location in your home. Its a small thing that could make a difference.

If you have a cell phone in the car, chances are 911 calls go to a regional designated answering point such as a highway patrol office (northern California) who will send on your request to the appropriate location. This equipment that picks up cellular calss is newer and more likely to function as long as the carriers are working.

-- Nancy (wellsnl@hotmail.com), January 02, 2000


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