The first 911 call in North America was placed on this date, not in a major city but in Haleyville, Alabama 47 years ago on February 16, 1968. AT&T had agreed to institute a single, easy to remember emergency phone number across North America in response to a recommendation by a crime commission assembled by Lyndon Johnson. The president of the Alabama Telephone Company got wind of the idea and decided to implement the new service in Alabama first. On this date, two local politicians participated in the first 911 call, routed between Haleyville’s city hall and police station.
911 became the United States’ national emergency number in 1968 – with access to police, fire, and medical services – but it took a while to catch on. Public awareness of the service increased throughout the 1970's, and access took off outside the major cities in the 1980's. Today around 98 percent of residents in the U.S. and Canada can dial 911 and be connected with emergency services, and 96 percent within the US will be connected to Enhanced 911, which allows the dispatcher to automatically access the caller’s location (which has become more complex as cell phones and internet telephony have eclipsed the use of landlines).
Like anything, the service has its unique challenges. Among them are callers reporting emergencies in a jurisdiction outside of the area where the call originated (in which case dispatchers may not know who to contact), or calls being made in areas where emergency services have been cut, with dispatchers able to do little more than stay on the line during the long response time. (A woman in Oregon was raped while on the line with 911 during a call when no county police were on duty.) The rise of internet telephony has also allowed callers to more easily disguise their location, resulting in a rise in “swatting,” a dangerous “prank” where heavily armed police are sent to a location for no reason. Some areas are moving to make this a crime with the full costs of the response (which can run into the thousands of dollars) billed to the prankster.
Another common issue can be misdialed numbers. This is especially an issue in telephone exchanges where “9” accesses an outside number and “1” begins an area code. A caller with jittery fingers might tap both buttons twice, and hit 9911, which grabs an outside line and then dials emergency. Around Raleigh, North Carolina, the old 919 area code has been required on all calls after a recent area code overlay switch. Misdialed numbers beginning with 911 have resulted in a large number of hang-ups from the area, all of which have to be traced and called back to confirm the presence or absence of an emergency.
Despite these challenges, Americans dial 911 about 240 million times a year, while Canadians make at least 12 million calls annually. Both countries impose a fee on telephone customers to fund the service. In the United States, 911 costs telephone customers an average of 72 cents a month…which could be worth every penny if you ever find yourself needing it.
911 became the United States’ national emergency number in 1968 – with access to police, fire, and medical services – but it took a while to catch on. Public awareness of the service increased throughout the 1970's, and access took off outside the major cities in the 1980's. Today around 98 percent of residents in the U.S. and Canada can dial 911 and be connected with emergency services, and 96 percent within the US will be connected to Enhanced 911, which allows the dispatcher to automatically access the caller’s location (which has become more complex as cell phones and internet telephony have eclipsed the use of landlines).
Like anything, the service has its unique challenges. Among them are callers reporting emergencies in a jurisdiction outside of the area where the call originated (in which case dispatchers may not know who to contact), or calls being made in areas where emergency services have been cut, with dispatchers able to do little more than stay on the line during the long response time. (A woman in Oregon was raped while on the line with 911 during a call when no county police were on duty.) The rise of internet telephony has also allowed callers to more easily disguise their location, resulting in a rise in “swatting,” a dangerous “prank” where heavily armed police are sent to a location for no reason. Some areas are moving to make this a crime with the full costs of the response (which can run into the thousands of dollars) billed to the prankster.
Another common issue can be misdialed numbers. This is especially an issue in telephone exchanges where “9” accesses an outside number and “1” begins an area code. A caller with jittery fingers might tap both buttons twice, and hit 9911, which grabs an outside line and then dials emergency. Around Raleigh, North Carolina, the old 919 area code has been required on all calls after a recent area code overlay switch. Misdialed numbers beginning with 911 have resulted in a large number of hang-ups from the area, all of which have to be traced and called back to confirm the presence or absence of an emergency.
Despite these challenges, Americans dial 911 about 240 million times a year, while Canadians make at least 12 million calls annually. Both countries impose a fee on telephone customers to fund the service. In the United States, 911 costs telephone customers an average of 72 cents a month…which could be worth every penny if you ever find yourself needing it.
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