Landlines are Still a Better Option for 911 Calls Over Cell Phones

November 23, 2008 by CoreyO

911

You may have came to this post via a link from a post chattering about how the GPS of a hunter’s cell phone allowed for rescuers to save his life. Even though the hunter was in difficult terrain, the fact that he was in an open field allowed searchers to locate him. Another man, who was also in dire need to be located, wasn’t as fortunate.

John Kohler, who was visiting Salt Lake City, had dialed 911 from his cell phone because he was experiencing extreme pain. Vickie Metcalf, Salt Lake City dispatcher, wasn’t able to get information from Kohler because he was unable to communicate well enough. As required by the FCC, the carrier was able to provide the nearest tower from where the call was coming from, but not the exact position. Since it was in a city with many buildings, rooms within those buildings, and cars, they were unable to determine exactly where he was at. With her cleverness and attentiveness Metcalf was able to hear a phone ringing in the background while she was stayed on the line with the possibly dying man. Police began to search in buildings, door to door in a hotel, and finally found him by busting into a room at Econo Lodge.

It was too late. John Kohler, bless his soul, was dead and unable to be revived. It is unknown whether or not John would have survived by getting there sooner, but it would be safe to say his chances would have been better.

Calling 911 from a landline enables dispatchers to find the exact location since the landline is physically connected to the service provider. According to KSL.com about half of 911 calls come from cell phones. Cell phones pose no problems, obviously, when a person can communicate effectively. But how tragic it would be if a child’s parent collapsed and became unresponsive and that child was able to call 911 but has no clue what there whereabouts may be.

Hopefully GPS technology on consumer cellular phones will be good enough to hone in on the caller’s exact position. For now, however, it’s best to play it safe and keep a landline connection.