CALLING 911 FROM YOUR CELL PHONE ~
What To Know When You Think You Have No Service & Need Help…
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BOB SKIDMORE
CORRESPONDENT
© 2024 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Have you ever been in a situation where you need to call 911 due to an emergency while driving in what you think is a non-cell-service area? Your phone shows no service because your provider’s signal is weak, or out of range from their nearest tower? Well, fear not because a solution probably exists! The ability to reach 911 from your wireless phone is considered a “VITAL SAFETY TOOL”. The FCC’s wireless 911 rules aim to provide 911 call centers, AKA Public Safety Answering Points, or “PSAPS”, with meaningful, accurate location information so the local emergency responders can be dispatched quickly to assist 911 callers. The FCC’s basic 911 rules require wireless service providers to transmit all 911 calls to a PSAP, regardless of whether the caller subscribes to the provider’s service, or not. In other words your 911 emergency call will be transmitted by another active carrier in the area where you are calling from even though you do not have an account with that carrier. The FCC rules also require all wireless service providers to provide the PSAP with the phone number of the caller of a wireless 911 call and the location parameters of the cell site and/or base station transmitting the call.
Many older wireless phones are equipped with a pre-activated 911 auto-dial feature which often times can lead to the accidental dialing of 911. You can reduce accidental 911 calls by locking your keypad, or consider turning off the 911 auto-dial feature if your phone has one. Check SETTINGS on your device, or review the owner’s operating manual, or check the manufacturer’s web site to learn how to do this and limit the possibility of making unintended 911 calls.
Newer iPhones also include an Emergency SOS feature to text emergency services via satellite when you are totally out of any carrier’s range. Emergency calls can even work with no service plan at all. An old deactivated phone can also connect with 911 services. A good plan may be to keep an old phone that’s deactivated in your car as a backup, but be aware that it won’t provide call centers with your location automatically. Also, keep such a back-up phone charged for such emergencies. Naturally if your old cell’s battery is dead and your vehicle still has power you could plug such a back-up phone into your cigarette lighter with the aid of a working DC carcord.
911 similar emergency services are available in many countries World-Wide. Naturally, the FCC rules outlined above do not apply. A list of such World-Wide numbers is available at: https://rb.gy/gmx109
For more 911 USA information: https://rb.gy/n09t3u
Graphic credits: Google Images
Bob Skidmore is a freelance writer, who may be contacted at bskidmore@mac.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent, or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his points of view and not those of the manufacturer, or any legal resource. The manufacturer generally supplies products and press releases at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior ratings.
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