| Author |
Message |
    
kegel
Citizen
Username: Kegel
Post Number: 20
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 4:21 pm: | 
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It drives me nuts that people get rid of their house phone because they're only using their cell phone. When you dial 911 on your cell the cell tower has to GUESS which town you're in. More often than not it's the wrong town, so you then have to get transferred to the correct town. I know a woman with a sick elderly mother who got rid of her house phone. Very dangerous. I understand that if you're on the road or in the park you have no choice but to use your cell phone, but at home you should always have a land line. There are people who dial 911 from their house on their cell phone and wonder why it took the police 15 minutes to respond! They have no idea how many times that call got bumped from town to town before getting to the right agency. And you'd better hope your 911 call on a cell isn't picked up by a certain city close by, they'll just dump your call. Also, if you must call 911 from your cell, DON'T start saying what's wrong, say WHERE YOU ARE!!! It doesn't matter what is going on if the call-taker has no idea WHERE to send help. |
SO Ref
Citizen
Username: So_refugee
Post Number: 1823
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 4:37 pm: |
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Quote:at home you should always have a land line
This post brought to you by Verizon.
If you have a cell phone - sans land line - and this concerns you, shouldn't you exercise the wherewithal to pre-progam the phone number to emergency services in your town???
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kegel
Citizen
Username: Kegel
Post Number: 21
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 11:38 pm: |
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Yes, you can program the direct number to the police dept into your phone. How many people do you know actually do that? Also, how many people get serivce in only one part of their house? BTW, I have both SO and Mpwd police depts programed in my cell phone. However, when you dial 911 from a land line the police dept gets all sorts of useful info, name, address, apt or floor #, if the call is coming from a business or residence, etc. When you dial 911 from a cell phone they get the cell phone number and what carrier you use, IF you're lucky they will also get the latitude and longitude. Will that really help you if you're having a heart attack? Do you want to count on a call taker having the know-how to even look up the lat and long? When you pre-program your local police departments number, you get the regular desk, also used for non-emergencies. |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 888
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, May 13, 2006 - 11:50 pm: |
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What do you care? If other people feel like getting roasted alive inside their house because they didn't have a home phone...hell...let 'em. (This post brought you by sarcasm, and the number two.) |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11496
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 7:16 am: |
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A few years ago, at a youth sporting event that had the potential for combustion, a South Orange officer told us to use the regular number in the event of emergency, instead of 911 on a cell for a faster response.
We have a landline and we use it most of the time at home. A set of three portable handsets complete with an answering machine costs around $100 at COSTCO. Since these are dependent on having electricity, it is probably, for the truly paranoid, to have an old fashioned corded handset hooked up as well. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5047
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 14, 2006 - 11:35 pm: |
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We have three different numbers in our house. All have a combination of corded and cordless phones on the lines just for the reason Bob mentioned. With the exception of the kid's room, all the bedrooms have at least a corded phone. Two also have cordless. One had an additional corded phone on the fax machine. I think we have something like four corded and two cordless on the first floor. Then four of us have cell phones. Whenever I've had to call the police I still call 973.763.3000. The rest of my family uses 911.
I remember having to call for medical assistance in another town several years ago in the middle of the night. Not knowing the direct phone there I called 911. I was so caught off guard when they asked me fort he address (my mind went blank) I asked 'can't you look at your caller id?' They have to ask even if the address shows up with the reverse caller id because although the call might be coming from that location, the emergency might not be. |
kegel
Citizen
Username: Kegel
Post Number: 22
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:03 am: |
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JTA, Yes, they are supposed to ask where your emergency is, but in a worse case scenario (a hang-up for example) they still would have sent someone to the address listed on the screen. Had you been at your friend's house and called from a cell phone and your mind had blanked you would have had a lot of problems getting the help you needed. You are correct in that they have to verify the address because the emergency might be in a different location than where the call originated from or sometimes Verizon makes mistakes and the wrong address is listed. But you are still better off having a land line in your house. Even a 4 year old can be taught to dial 9-1-1 in case of an emergency if mom or dad suddenly becomes sick. Now imagine that 4 year old had to make that call from a cell phone because mom and dad thought they would save some money by getting rid of the house phone. I'm not saying cell phones are bad. Out in the park, on the highway, etc., they can be lifesavers. But for emergencies land lines are still far superior and I shudder when I hear some people are getting rid of them completely. |
K_soze
Citizen
Username: K_soze
Post Number: 214
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 8:46 am: |
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I agree 100% |
Scully
Citizen
Username: Scully
Post Number: 464
Registered: 8-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 11:31 am: |
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Absolutely! |
MeAndTheBoys
Citizen
Username: Meandtheboys
Post Number: 3748
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 11:38 am: |
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I'm with ya on this one. Always been mind-boggling to me why anyone would not have a land-line in their home--particularly anyone with small children or elderly folks--for this very reason. |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14271
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 12:01 pm: |
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Call me extra-cautious. I programmed the police departments of all of the neighboring towns in my cell phone AND I keep a landline at home. Low tech is still more reliable. When that changes, my practices will.
Here are some Police numbers:
Irvington 973-399-6600
Livingston 973-992-3000
Maplewood 973-762-3000
Millburn 973-564-7001
Newark 973-733-6000
South Orange 973-763-3000
Springfield 973-376-0400
Union 908-851-5000
Verona 973-857-4809
West Orange 973-325-4000
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Handygirl
Citizen
Username: Handygirl
Post Number: 708
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 12:18 pm: |
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Thanks for the #s Tom.
We use cordless phones at home for our landline, but I also have an old corded phone in the "emergency box" in case of power outages - along with candles, matches, first aid kit, etc.
People who get rid of their land line are nuts, too risky for me. |
mjh
Supporter
Username: Mjh
Post Number: 523
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 1:27 pm: |
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Just as an FYI, there are many people who cannot afford both types of phone, and therefore choose the most valuable phone to meet their own needs.
There are also many, many people who do not know the issues that arise from calling 9-1-1 from a cel. An educational campaign would be helpful (I don't expect the phone companies would be too interested), but since cel phones are here to stay, I'd hope that the technology could be changed to somehow help this situation. Techno-wiz I am not-------so I wouldn't know what might be possible. |
Bajou
Citizen
Username: Bajou
Post Number: 336
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 1:31 pm: |
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I signed up with Vonage which is only USD 24.00 for unlimited phone use and since it is provided through cable you have to make a point to go online and state your emergency address (which doesn't always have to be the billing address). I just had to dial 911 last week since my daughter had an accident and it worked great. |
sac
Supporter
Username: Sac
Post Number: 3443
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:53 pm: |
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It seems to me that the technology already exists (gps, etc.) to completely pinpoint locations and communicate them in this way. It's just a matter of the market and/or the regulatory bodies to lead the service providers to take full advantage of it. |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 896
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:55 pm: |
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Personally I don't want someone to have the ability to pinpoint every move I make. The government is already trying to do that kind of thing and I sure as hell don't like it. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 3125
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:58 pm: |
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Too bad. Don't buy a new cell phone, then. Every new cell phone being sold has GPS technology built in, ostensibly to support this very issue. Of course, the phone companies will pitch it as "location-based services" so they can make money selling your location. |
HOMMELL
Citizen
Username: Hommell
Post Number: 174
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 3:59 pm: |
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http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/dispatcher?action=DISPLAY&item=_FAQ_TOPIC&top icID=278 |
HOMMELL
Citizen
Username: Hommell
Post Number: 175
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 4:02 pm: |
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00.html,http://www22.verizon.com/wholesale/local/E911/1,21070,,00.html |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 897
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 5:42 pm: |
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You can switch it to Open or 911-Only on my phone. |
officerfriendly
Citizen
Username: Officerfriendly
Post Number: 22
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 6:20 pm: |
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Tom,
The number you listed for Maplewood Police is wrong. It's (973) 762-3400. To bypass the audix use (973) 762-1234 to go straight to the desk for emergencies only.
Officer Friendly |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14292
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, May 15, 2006 - 8:38 pm: |
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Thanks for that. I mistyped it. The good news is that I have it right in my Palm and phone, and also that you posted the correction. Thanks!
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argon_smythe
Citizen
Username: Argon_smythe
Post Number: 827
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - 3:14 pm: |
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Kegel, this is really what "drives you nuts?" You need to get off your land line and get out more.
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combustion
Citizen
Username: Spontaneous
Post Number: 40
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 2:13 am: |
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Yes, it drives me nuts. Let's just say it's work related and leave it at that. |
Dogbert
Citizen
Username: Dogbert
Post Number: 102
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 8:33 am: |
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Perhaps this is what HOMMELL was trying to link to, but pretty much all cell phones sold in the last couple years are GPS-capable. When you dial 911 Verizon takes the GPS information and uses it to determine the local PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) which, in Maplewood, would be the police, the same as if you dialed 973-762-1234. The GPS-based location is routed with the call.
As I understand it, GPS doesn't always work, for instance, deep inside buildings. In such cases, of course you could have a problem. It's theoretically possible for them to triangulate based on cell signal from multiple cells to try to locate you, but this requires subsequent analysis and is not real-time. |
Debby
Citizen
Username: Debby
Post Number: 2304
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 8:43 am: |
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Bajou - I was wondering about Vonage, because we just switched, too. Did they know as soon as you dialed? |
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