How Does the 911 Emergency System Work For Wireless Cell Phones?

Many people are getting rid of their traditional landdictates how the 911 system works. Even though
line phones for a wireless cell phones, which isthe FCC has continually made mandates since the
antiquating the existing 9-1-1 emergency system90's that the system should exist they never
in the USA.have mandated how the systems should work so
There is nothing worse than thinking the 911the results is there is no national standard 911
emergency system is universal and workingsystem.
everywhere and standing over someone who justTo be fair it is a daunting task to come up with a
had a life threatening accident and you cannotstandardized 911 emergency system that will
reach the appropriate dispatch using your Wirelesswork in all cases as technologies change and
Cellular Phone. Without adequate help the personimprove.
might die when if there was a working andIn the 90's the technology just was not there to
updated 911 system, help could be just minutesmake it work when the FCC (Federal
away.Communications Commission) first started making
Many times the 911 caller is under stress and ismandates. But the technology now exists to
yelling into the wireless cellular phone and wantsmake it work but no one technology works in all
the person at the other end to provide some helpsituations. Each system needs to be made up of
immediately but is too stressed out to answermultiple systems that interact and decide which
some basic questions describing their location. Thissystem will work best under what situation. This
is not only wasting precious time that the 911level of complexity can be too pricy for any local
attendant could be helping the 911 caller but alsoarea to take on and continually keep updated as
wasting valuable travel time for the necessarythe technology changes. This is why this decision
emergency respondents. 'I think I am at a certainmaking should be done at a central or regional
location on a 100 mile stretch of highway reallyprocessing station that decides which technology
does not cut it in an emergency.' In the originalwill work the best to locate the 911 caller. This
design with land line phones, the phone numbersdecision making could be a form of artificial
were assigned to specific addresses.intelligence where the processing station knows
The problem is that money dictates the quality ofabout where the data is coming from and knows
any 911 system and the training of the peoplethat the area is urban or rural area and which
behind the phone. Rural areas do not have thetechnology would work the best. In the future 911
resources available that they might have in urbansystem might be part of a dedicated internet that
areas. The rural areas should be spending whatwould only be used for emergency 911 calls and
resources that they do have on training personnel.be set up as a high priority communications
Their dispatch receiving equipment could besystem with redundant equipment.
standardize and designed to just receive alreadyIt is my hope that the new President Obama will
processed data from a central location thatmake the 911 system part of his charge to build
receives the data from the internet or wirelessand update the infrastructure in the USA bringing
cellular phone providers. This location data could bethe emergency 911 system into the 21st century
sent by way of the internet for processing whereand creating new jobs in the process. Power for
it is translated into useful location information andthe systems could be tied to solar and wind
then the system sends this already processedpower with battery and/or diesel generator
data to the right local dispatch and connects 911backups. This new standardized system could
caller with this correct local dispatch.then be a model for all emergency equipment
Presently one of the challenges is that the stateused around the world.
or region in which the system is located also