RE: 911:: Speed Dial & Cell Phones

[Guest guest]

>Those folks in CA who work for any PSAP OTHER than CHP

just don't realize the incredible volume of inadvertent 9-1-1 calls we get

from cell phones. They THINK they do, but they don't. No reflection on

ya, folks, but sit in at a CHP Comm Center for a few hours and you'll

understand. <nodding seriously>

In Indiana they soon will.

There is a big push to get those calls turned away from the State

Police, and to the local PSAPs....

When we at the State Police post receive a 9-1-1 call that is not

an emergency (about 99%).. we ask the caller who their cell

carrier is...

This is then reported to the carrier and the routing is changed to send

calls to the proper PSAP.

The local PSAPs are, or will be, getting funding from the cell carriers.

The local PSAPs are going to have to get used to hearing construction

equipment, kids crying, phones rattling around in a purse, people talking

to each other, river barges, etc.... simply because people don't want to

lock their phones when not in use.

I didn't think of the " send " button... because I don't own a cell phone,

I don't want a cell phone, and don't dare try to GIVE me a cell phone.

I'm not interested.

Weintraut

[Guest guest]

At 06:30 08/31/2001 -0400, my dear buddy and peer way over there,

Weintraut, wrote:

>I have no problem with the elderly or physically disabled programming

>9-1-1 as a speed dial.

Yes, at home. Agreed!

>

>Cell phones are a different matter.

Affirmative!!!! Those folks in CA who work for any PSAP OTHER than CHP

just don't realize the incredible volume of inadvertent 9-1-1 calls we get

from cell phones. They THINK they do, but they don't. No reflection on

ya, folks, but sit in at a CHP Comm Center for a few hours and you'll

understand. <nodding seriously>

>

>With the capability of throwing them in a purse, hooking them on a belt,

laying

>them in the seat of a car, there is far too much possibility of false calls.

Yup.

>

>9-1-1 is three digits... speed dial is one....

Well.... on cell phones, it's four, since ya gotta press " Send, " too....

My, how simply LENGTHY and inconvenient a task that must be! <wry expression>

>

>It wouldn't save 1 tenth of a second.

>

>(Now, I'm going to make a lot of cell phone users upset)

>When not in use, they should be locked.

Or OFF!

>And you should not use them when driving.

>We've just been talking about the loss of " personal responsibility " .

>I don't think there is a doubt in anyone's mind, it's pretty well

>settled, driving while talking on a cell phone can be distracting

>and dangerous.....

>

>Why do people do it?

>

>Convince.... that's it... convince...

<snip>

I'm absolutely convinced that meant " convenience. " <grin>

And I'm in total agreement that personal responsibility SHOULD outweigh

convenience! So many callers I speak with have dialed 9-1-1 out of their

belief that they're " responsibly " reporting something unsafe, and many of

them are acting unsafely as they make those reports. But even those calls

are only a small ratio compared to the inadvertent 9-1-1 calls made from

cell phones with the one-button 9-1-1 speed-dial.... <sigh>

Happy to be here, proud to serve.

Olmstead

Communications Supervisor

~on the Central California coastline~

" Not presumed to be an official statement of my employing agency. "

Home E-mail: mailto:gryeyes@...

http://www.gryeyes.com/

[Guest guest]

At 12:17 08/31/2001 -0700, Kim wrote:

>I had a lady call one time to report that a driver on

>his cell phone was weaving--she called while driving

>from her cell phone!!

ONE time?!?!?? Try innumerable times a day for us. That's common.

Almost all of our reports of reckless or possible DUI drivers are made by

folks who are driving; seldom do these callers pull over to the shoulder to

make their calls. Occasionally, a passenger makes the calls while the

driver attempts to follow the " suspect. " Now and then someone pulls over

to use a call-box to make such a report, but that's because they don't have

a cell phone!

Happy to be here, proud to serve.

Olmstead

Communications Supervisor

~on the Central California coastline~

" Not presumed to be an official statement of my employing agency. "

Home E-mail: mailto:gryeyes@...

http://www.gryeyes.com/

[Guest guest]

>ok...putting the soapbox away for now.

I understand what you're saying Rich... and as a big believer in

personal freedom... I'm not so sure we need laws banning

driving while talking on a cell phone.

My point was that it's pretty unnecessary.

To *ME* and I understand that others feel differently, I simply can see

no use for a cell phone while I am driving an automobile.

But then again.... most everyone here knows I can't find much use

for a cell phone any time.... (grin)

Weintraut

[Guest guest]

At 12:47 08/31/2001 -0700, Kim clarified her post with:

>We get tons of calls of reckless drivers from people

>on cell phones--I just found it ironic that she was

>reporting a person on a cell phone driving and she was

>doing the same thing. Usually, they are smart enough

>not to report a person doing exactly what they

>themselves are doing!!

Oh, yah, right. Those are the cases of " they're doing it unsafely but *I*

am not! " Uh huh.

A few weeks ago I posted one such call as an amusing tidbit. One of my

dispatchers listened to a man go on and on about a woman driver ON HER CELL

PHONE who was weaving. " These people, " he said, " should be fined! They

don't pay attention! They're driving and talking on their cell phones! "

The dispatcher politely took all the information and then said, " May I have

your cell phone number, sir? The one you're using to make this report as

you drive? "

He hung up on her. (She had the number on the Caller ID display anyway, so

we all smirked to ourselves. One more number for our imaginary " Jerk List. " )

And back to another comment: making beeps on the phone to catch folks'

attention, if possible. Well, our previous phone system was analog and did

this quite nicely. Our current phone system is digital and the tones are

inaudible on the line. We miss 'em.

<sigh> Although the tactic didn't work all - or even much - of the time,

it still gave us a sense of " well, take THAT! "

Happy to be here, proud to serve.

Olmstead

Communications Supervisor

~on the Central California coastline~

" Not presumed to be an official statement of my employing agency. "

Home E-mail: mailto:gryeyes@...

http://www.gryeyes.com/

[Guest guest]

kim wrote: <<< I just found it ironic that she was reporting a person on a

cell phone driving and she was doing the same thing. >>>

well, according to your earlier post she was actually reporting a reckless

driver and that's a totally different animal.

i am amazed at the hysteria over using a cell phone while driving that seems

to be sweeping the nation (not refering to you specifically, kim)

(getting out the dennis miller memorial soap box for a moment)...

most studies i have seen have placed cell phone use way down on the list of

driving distractions. i've gotta believe that most jurisdictions already

have laws on the books that cover reckless driving. we don't need more

laws, we need to enforce the laws we have..but it seems easier to pass

politically correct, yet ineffective legislation aimed at the population at

large rather than deal with the folks who are causing the problem. reminds

me of all the hubbub a few years back over what we now commonly call

carjacking. there was no need for any new laws as armed robbery statutes

covered those incidents. but that didn't stop the politicians from creating

a whole new mess of legislation. the same thing can be said for virtually

all 'hate crimes' (ever hear of someone committing a rape, assault or murder

because they loved someone??) if someone causes an accident while they are

eating pizza, fumbling with the radio, swapping spit with their significant

other or...yakking on their phone..then issue the appropriate citation and

prosecute the offenders vigorously. otherwise i expect to see legislation

outlawing radios, passenger seats (after all we can't have drivers talking

with passengers can we? they may get distracted.), drive-up windows, etc.

ok...putting the soapbox away for now.

rich

[Guest guest]

> Of course, this cannot be heard by the dispatcher. (Yep, would be bad to

get blasted out of your headset!)

> annette hallmark

> ********************************************************************

I have pressed several keys on the phone number pad. Once in a while this

works. If cell calls come from a noisy location, bar etc., I listen a while

then hang up. We have no ANI/ALI for it so it makes little sense to tie up

the 911 line when a " real " emergency call may come in... You know the kind

like, " what's the number for 911? "

Iowa State Patrol Communications Cedar Rapids

Werling, Anamosa, IA N0XZY AOL IM Ridgeroader

http://www.jonescountytourism.com

http://www.ia.net/~anachamb/pumpkin.html

http://www.earthsat.com/Iowa/Winter.html (roads)

http://www.thehungersite.com (feed someone today)

mailto:scott@...

[Guest guest]

richard wrote: <<< I understand what you're saying Rich... and as a big

believer in personal freedom... I'm not so sure we need laws banning

driving while talking on a cell phone. My point was that it's pretty

unnecessary. >>>

i agree wholeheartedly. as for the 'need' to use a cellphone while driving,

the need simply does not exist. i saw a tv news piece (or what passes for

news these days) the other day on this issue. the reporter was interviewing

kids at a local high school. this one young girl just kept gushing that she

'neeeeeedssssssss' her cell phone because, well just because! i admit to

using my phone while driving but then again i also use my amateur radio

equipment while driving. do i have a *need* to use either? no. but it is

a convince. ;o)

rich

[Guest guest]

> Holy Cow! Us too, we get those all the time. I don't remember the

last time I got a DUI or reckless driving complaint from anything BUT

a cell phone. Very Common.

>

> Jim J

> Mr 911

> TriCom

>

It seems as though a whole lot of folks out there with cell phones

figure that as long as they have 'em, they might just as well report

everyone who ticks them off while they are on the road.

Caller: I would like to report a case of road rage.

Me: What exactly does that mean?

Caller: I'm on the highway and this dude in a white Buick flipped me

off.

Thank heavens there is no law against flipping off citizens because I

gave the caller the silent salute myself and it felt gooooood.

Also, we get a lot more reports now about drivers than we used to

because it's so much easier to flip open a cell phone as you are

driving down the road than it was to actually care enough to pull

over to the side of the road and use a pay phone. I swear that some

people call in other drivers just to break the monotony of the drive.