9-1-1 @ 50

From USA Today:
"Birth of a lifeline: The nation's 911 emergency system turns 50"

It all started simply enough just before dawn on July 8, 1937, when Mrs. Beard of Hampstead, England called police to report her husband was chasing a burglar around the neighborhood. That phone call was the first in the world to take advantage of what was then a revolution in telecommunications — namely, a 911 emergency system. Well, not really 911. In England, and in many other countries, citizens dial 999, even to this day. But the concept of using a simple code to call for help on the phone took hold across the globe. (And yes, Mrs. Beard's burglar was arrested, thanks to her quick call.)  Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the first 911 phone call in the U.S., a test dial of the system made in Haleyville, Ala. by state Rep. Rankin Fite. Known as the “The City Where 911 Began,” Haleyville still throws a 911 festival every year. "On February 16, 1968, a red phone rang in the police station," the White House said in an official statement Friday. "Today, 911 services are available to roughly 97% of the geographic United States. Advances in technology have made this system more widespread, precise, and efficient."  Dialing 911 quickly connects a caller to a nearby Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatcher who is trained to route a call to local emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement agencies. Before such a system was put in place, emergency calls were sometimes hit or miss, with many residents dialing an operator by hitting "0" on their phone and saying they desperately needed help.  The 911 system changed all that and has bridged the gap from landline phones to wireless. Over 70% of America's 911 calls in 2017 were on wireless phones. Early integration into wireless networks were a challenge for 911 systems, with some emergency calls being routed to other counties or cities because of difficulty in triangulating where a caller was in relation to nearby cell towers.  A newspaper delivery woman who drove into a pond in suburban Atlanta in December 2014 dialed 911 but the call went to another county, and dispatchers were unable to determine the woman's location. The car sank, the woman was trapped and later died. Improvements have been made. The Federal Communications Commission requires that all wireless carriers must be able to pinpoint your location for 911 dispatchers, but the technology is still rolling out in phases and glitches occasionally happen. "We understand today that the most important call any of us may ever make in our lifetime could be to 9-1-1. We teach our children about it, feature it in movies and shows," said David S. Turetsky, visiting assistant professor at the University at Albany's College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity. "This week is the system 's 50th anniversary We ought to take pride in the vital system we've created," Turetsky said.  "But we also need to acknowledge the very real challenges this system faces, the opportunity that is there, and rise to do what's necessary to enhance public safety." Dispatchers on the front lines of the 911 backbone have tough jobs. Some even suffer from critical incident stress syndrome similar to PTSD.  And it's no wonder. Along with trying to save lives, prevent fires, and notify authorities about terrorist attack tips, the dispatchers are faced with a host of strange calls. In December 2017, a man called 911 twice to complain about the size of his clams at a seafood restaurant in Stuart, Fla. And in nearby Deltona, Fla., a woman was arrested after she called 911 four times to complain about a nail technician at a beauty salon. But the system is grounded in a noble undertaking: The first line of help for people in need.  The United Kingdom's 999 system is considered the world's oldest and was put in place after a tragedy in 1935, when a fire killed five women. Using the old emergency system, a caller reporting the fire was placed on hold until it was too late for firefighters to get there in time. A common question many people ask is: Why 911? How were those numbers chosen? And it's generally accepted that the decision was born out of simplicity: 911 is an easy number to remember.

^  I have had to call 9-1-1 a few times and have noticed a major difference in the quality and speed of the service depending on which state I called from (I'm referring to the call itself and not the first responders actually arriving at the scene.)  In my current state the 9-1-1 system isn't very good. I spent more time correcting the woman about my address - she wouldn't believe me and kept saying her system said a different address even though I told her I had lived at the same address for years -  and in an emergency every moment counts. The 9-1-1 system in my state is very out-dated and not local. I think there are either one or two 9-1-1 call centers for my whole state. The system is 50 years old and is showing it's age. It needs to be fixed and up-dated so that it can provide the fast and correct care that it is supposed to. With that said I do enjoy the new 9-1-1 TV show. ^

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/16/birth-lifeline-nations-911-emergency-system-turns-50/346832002/