911 Call

[Starflyer525i]

My cell phone has an emergency GPS locator, how long would it take for Verizon and/or authorities to find me using my locator signal?

Also, how long does it take officials to locate a house if a call is made from a standard land line and the caller is unable to speak?

Just curious.

[Cat_Doc]

Also, how long does it take officials to locate a house if a call is made from a standard land line and the caller is unable to speak?

As soon as 9-1-1 rings in, your number and address is on the screen.

[mcsap]

I know our 911 has caller ID from any cell. Not sure about the locator , but I heard it is coming soon.

[Wombat311]

Our emergency phone system (000) has CLI which means Calling Line Identifier.

For land lines we know where you are as soon as we answer your call. They have a protocol here for calls wher eno-one speaks. They ask if you need police but can't speak (for whatever reason) to push the number five twice on your phone.

For mobiles it shows us the billing address, so not always helpful.

[NCPD3200]

My cell phone has an emergency GPS locator, how long would it take for Verizon and/or authorities to find me using my locator signal?

Also, how long does it take officials to locate a house if a call is made from a standard land line and the caller is unable to speak?

Just curious.

Even though you have a GPS chip in your phone, it's pretty useless to tell you the truth. I personally think, and knowing with the experience I have in the area, that the Companys can locate you. The service just isn't used for the public, just for the corporation. Now if you had Nextel, you can take full advantage of the chip and use it for your personal use giving you directions or giving yourself your own location. Authorities may only locate you if they have E911. Well, even then, the location is down to 100's of yards, not pin-point.

[Rad Diver]

triangulate between towers for cell phones

[Starflyer525i]

It is E911. But it would only work as well as you say assuming that I have a good signal?

[Rad Diver]

I have yet to see it actually work were we actually find the caller.

[txinvestigator1]

The problem is that the 911 centers have to be set up for it also. All cell phones in the US sold today have GPS built in. It is a matter of time before the 911 centers have the equipment to get a location from the phone.

[SO explorer]

Some 911 centers (such as my old dept.) are small and on cell phone 911's they get nothing, not a callback number for your cell phone or anything, when all the (3) 911 lines are all busy, anymore 911's are rerouted to county (who I'm with now :D )

I don’t know about other departments.

[Stump]

All 911 centers must be set up to be able to trace cell phone callers in the near future. My county's center is set up with that already.

If you call from a "hard phone" (a non-cell), all the information will show on the screen immediately- name, phone number, address - even if you have privacy on your phone. If you don't speak into the phone, then you will be getting a visit from the police. I'll tell you a story since that happens here about 10 times a night at least.... one day I was answering phones, and I got a call and all I could hear was heavy wheezing into the phone. I started fire, ems, and police, assuming - per our protocol- that it was someone having asthma attack or trouble breathing. I stayed on the phone, talking to the person, reassuring them. Police arrived first and I heard them knocking on the door. Then I heard some rustling and a lady asking who it is. Turns out, the lady was sound asleep, and hit the phone off the hook when she turned over and somehow it dialed 9-1-1. She was so embarrassed that I heard her snoring!
The other question you had was with the cell phones. All cell phones sold are required to have GPS chips in them now. When a cell phone caller uses that phone, we get a latitude/longitude reading, which we key into our other computer. Using that, we are able to pull up a map with the location on it. In addition, we have a satallite map of our county so we can see pictures of the area. I actually had one the other day where a guy went into a ditch and wasn't sure where he was. I was able to trace the location and then ask him "Are you able to see the red barn with the silver silo?" kind of questions to confirm his location. All that takes maybe a minute (I don't work the phones much, so an operator who does it a lot would be faster).
Some areas are not this advanced yet - they can only either located the cell tower or maybe narrow it down to the nearest 50 meters or so.

[txinvestigator1]

All 911 centers must be set up to be able to trace cell phone callers in the near future. My county's center is set up with that already.


The other question you had was with the cell phones. All cell phones sold are required to have GPS chips in them now. When a cell phone caller uses that phone, we get a latitude/longitude reading, which we key into our other computer. Using that, we are able to pull up a map with the location on it. In addition, we have a satallite map of our county so we can see pictures of the area. I actually had one the other day where a guy went into a ditch and wasn't sure where he was. I was able to trace the location and then ask him "Are you able to see the red barn with the silver silo?" kind of questions to confirm his location. All that takes maybe a minute (I don't work the phones much, so an operator who does it a lot would be faster).
Some areas are not this advanced yet - they can only either located the cell tower or maybe narrow it down to the nearest 50 meters or so.

There ya go. In the future, the location will actually correlate to street addresses and distances/direction from streets.

Cool stuff.

[Ranger__101]

The E-911 is still going to take several years before it is rolled out to all PSAP (Public Safety Answering Points. There is a fair amount of cost that the 911 centers have to eat to add the specific equipment to get the locations from the cell phone providers.

Once the PSAP has the equipment they can then contact each provider and set up the process for receiving the data from them. Generally now you will see PSAP's in large areas having the E-911 systems and as funding is available it will begin rolling to the smaller PSAP's.

So as for now. If you will be calling 911 from your cell phone make sure you know where you are and what number they can call you back on because there is no guarantee the PSAP will get your cell phone number or location when you call.

[fetom]

Our emergency phone system (000) has CLI which means Calling Line Identifier.

For land lines we know where you are as soon as we answer your call. They have a protocol here for calls wher eno-one speaks. They ask if you need police but can't speak (for whatever reason) to push the number five twice on your phone.

For mobiles it shows us the billing address, so not always helpful.

In life threatening situations, Telstra will assist pinning down the mobile phone signal of a known handset by triangulation. We have utilised it a few times out here in the sticks to find city folk who have come out here to suicide then change their mind and need help to become unlost.

[Mr Crustacean]

In the UK 999 or 112 (European wide emergency number) from a landline provides the emergency operator with full subscriber details. However if you use a mobile we normally have no idea whatsoever where you are calling from. For serious incidents we can get the mobile company to 'ping'/triangulate the mobile which gives us a good idea where the telephone is.


Crustacean.