Wireless 9-1-1 Tracking a `Godsend` for Rescuers, Patients
An injured Wisconsin man dialed 9-1-1 on his cell phone after crashing his snowmobile last week on Green Bay. He didn't know where he was, but gave dispatchers an approximate location.
Lucky for him, the Brown County emergency communications center is equipped with technology to track wireless calls. Rescuers found him 17 minutes later about a mile-and-a-half away from where he thought he was.
"We located him much faster thanks to the GPS in his phone," said Lt. Dave Jossart of the Brown County Sheriff's Office.
The 39-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital for a back injury.
The enhanced service brought help fast for the man who had lost feeling in one of his legs. But, that wasn't the case for snowmobilers who fell through the ice in January 2004, said Jim Nickel, director of public safety communications in Brown County.
That incident happened before the center had the latest technology, and it took rescuers nearly three hours to find the couple, who were suffering from hyperthermia, Nickel said.
"This (enhancement) has been a godsend for us," he said, adding that he didn't know it would make a difference so soon.
While the outcome was successful in Wisconsin, that would not have been the case in other areas of the country as not all centers have the technology. There have been instances in the past when help didn't arrive in time for crime victims.
This past summer, a man in Philadelphia called 9-1-1 on his cell phone, telling dispatchers he'd been abducted. Although one call lasted 18 minutes, authorities were not able to locate him in time. He was later found dead.
However, there are national measures underway to help dispatchers locate a person who calls 911 on a wireless phone.
Of the 200 million calls to 9-1-1 annually, about half are made from cell or wireless phones, said Rick Jones, operations issues director at National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
By the end of the year, wireless companies are required by the FCC to have equipped 95 percent of their customers' handsets with GPS chips. While some of the larger carriers will meet the deadline, others have asked for extentions, said Chelsea Fallon, FCC spokesperson.
The wireless enhancement project is divided into two phases. The first involves technology that allows the emergency communications center to identify the cell phone number and what tower or antenna was utilized. Phase II involves the tracking of the caller through GPS.
Once the communications centers have the technology in place, the FCC requires wireless carriers to provide the information within six months.
Statistics show that centers in rural areas are struggling to get the upgrades, while more populous regions have the enhanced capability. The lack of funding is being blamed for delays.
Although Congress passed an ENHANCE 9-1-1 Act of 2004 that authorizes $250 million annually for five years, the measure still has not been funded, said Greg Rhode, executive director of E-9-9-1-1 Institute.
The money would be available for communications centers to upgrade technology, and NENA officials said that funding is vital for the success of wireless.
Supporting that issue, they reiterated in a prepared statement: "We feel there is no better use of public monies than to assist first responders to save lives in every community across America. Full funding of the ENHANCE 9-1-1 Act is a necessary step to bring our country's emergency response system in the 21st century."
In Maryland, one of nine states to have implemented Phase II, the technology is credited with saving a Montgomery County businessman who was stung by a bee while visiting Ocean City, said Gordon Deans, executive director of Emergency Number Systems Board.
The victim, who didn't have his medication with him, called 9-1-1 on his cell phone, but passed out before he could give his location. Dispatchers tracked the call, and sent paramedics.
"They called back, and the groggy man said he could hear the sirens," Deans said, adding that the victim told his story and thanked the people who saved his life recently during a function attended by Gov. Robert Ehrlich.
In Delaware, where Phase II technology also has been installed in all centers, about 52 percent of 9-1-1 calls are made by people using wireless phones. "We're above the national average," said Terry Whitham, state E-9-1-1 coordinator.
Whitham said his agency is about to launch a major campaign to explain the new program to citizens. "People are reluctant to trade in their phones for the upgrades, saying they're used to their old phones."
The state has already had its first save, thanks to the new technology. A motorist called for help on his cell phone after his vehicle veered off I-95. "He was down in a gully in a marsh. You couldn't see the car from the road," Whitham said.
NENA said communications centers across the country will continue to keep up with changes. They estimate that by the end of 2008, approximately 12-15 million households will be using Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as their primary or secondary line.
About eight million people right now use a wireless as their primary phone.
