rrich
25th May 2018, 05:09 PM
We have a 'Dial 9 1 1' system for emergencies. (Similar to your 0 0 0 ???)
The big problem with our system is cell phones. All cell phone 9 1 1 calls in California are answered by The Highway Patrol. Land line calls to 9 1 1 are routed directly to the local police dispatcher. The land line also provides the exact address to the dispatcher.
During the 2016 presidential election it was necessary to call 9 1 1 for an emergency at a polling place. A cell phone was used. The call was answered by The Highway Patrol, probably in a Sacramento call center, 400 miles away. The dispatcher needed a street address before she could transfer the call. None of the poll workers knew the street address only the name of the church where the polling place was located. Fortunately we were able to defuse the situation without the need for the police. We never did get in touch with the police.
I don't know if this type of situation occurs in Australia. The problem here is that very few people understand the subtle difference.
The big problem with our system is cell phones. All cell phone 9 1 1 calls in California are answered by The Highway Patrol. Land line calls to 9 1 1 are routed directly to the local police dispatcher. The land line also provides the exact address to the dispatcher.
During the 2016 presidential election it was necessary to call 9 1 1 for an emergency at a polling place. A cell phone was used. The call was answered by The Highway Patrol, probably in a Sacramento call center, 400 miles away. The dispatcher needed a street address before she could transfer the call. None of the poll workers knew the street address only the name of the church where the polling place was located. Fortunately we were able to defuse the situation without the need for the police. We never did get in touch with the police.
I don't know if this type of situation occurs in Australia. The problem here is that very few people understand the subtle difference.