9 1 1 - Question

peachestheclown

peachestheclown

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
175
Reaction score
0
Friend of mine is deaf, asked her what she would do in emergency like say mom fell down faint or heart attack, fire or someone break in her house. She said she would 'text' her cousin. She was not aware of 9 1 1. When I explained the emergency phone number of 911 to her, she said she could not speak. I told her from a house phone, her address would automatically show up on the screen at the firestation or police and that help would come faster than if she texted her cousin.

anyone else not aware of this? Just wondering, my friend is a grown woman and wasn't aware.
 
cdbicdb said:
Friend of mine is deaf, asked her what she would do in emergency like say mom fell down faint or heart attack, fire or someone break in her house. She said she would 'text' her cousin. She was not aware of 9 1 1. When I explained the emergency phone number of 911 to her, she said she could not speak. I told her from a house phone, her address would automatically show up on the screen at the firestation or police and that help would come faster than if she texted her cousin.

anyone else not aware of this? Just wondering, my friend is a grown woman and wasn't aware.
Click to expand...

I text a family too. I don't have a house phone.
 
911

You need to check into this then. I heard house phone good for 911 calls only is free! Texting someone takes time, when in emergency 911 is quickest way to get help, concerned now who else doesn't know this...
 
I believe ^^^ is correct. As long as you have a landline-based phone plugged into a jack, you are supposed to be able to connect to 911 even without paying for phone service.
 
wow, i didn't know that you could not know about 911. cell phones aren't the best choice for emergencies if you're within yards of a landline. you could lose connection and it doesn't pinpoint your location as well. i know people who have no landline, and even when you are hearing, it seems a little dangerous to me not to have one.
 
There is a relay service (like AT&T and IP-RELAY) that allows 911 call. You can choose to register an account with them and input all your address in it so that it will facilitate 911 service better.

With a cell phone, you can dial 911 and leave it because most cellphones are equipped with GPS. Just yell at cellphone that you are deaf. I understand if you cannot talk very well but do the best you can. For example - "I DEAF. HELP! HELP! NEED HOSPITAL. <say your address>" meanwhile - try to find anybody (neighbor, bystander, etc.) to talk to cellphone for you.

You also should pre-program the message in your cellphone that will quickly translate into full sentence. For example - if your mom is prone to faint/heart attack, pre-program your message like this. typing "hhh" or "abc" will be automatically converted to "mom heart attack" and then send it to your cousin. Every second counts.

hope that helps.
 
alley cat is correct - if you moved into a house or apt and there is a previous phone service with the phone company (not digital line) then chances are the phone jack will still be active for 911 use. We all should be aware of this and have a simple phone hooked up just in case, who cares if you cant talk,hear, Chances are you will still get the emergency services you need.
 
radioman said:
alley cat is correct - if you moved into a house or apt and there is a previous phone service with the phone company (not digital line) then chances are the phone jack will still be active for 911 use. We all should be aware of this and have a simple phone hooked up just in case, who cares if you cant talk,hear, Chances are you will still get the emergency services you need.
Click to expand...

yep. even if you dial 911 and then hang up... they will call you back and if no answer, the cop usually comes over to make sure if everything's ok.
 
Perhaps, you could contact your local emergency center and ask them what could be done?
 
VamPyroX said:
Perhaps, you could contact your local emergency center and ask them what could be done?
Click to expand...
Good idea. Not all localities have enhanced 911 services or GPS for cell tracking. It's best to know what's available in your community.
 
Calling a third party (friend or family member) doesn't seem like the best way to get fast emergency service. What if they don't answer right away? If your house is on fire, or someone is breaking into the house you don't have time to wait. Also, if you're under a lot of stress and fear, it's not easy to text a clear message.
 
If you have vp then use that too. The VRS can see what is going on in the house while make a call. I have a digital line and it works for 911 and one time I had to called them and couldnt get thru to them but the cop did show up and I was shocked. He said that they did tried to call me but couldnt get thru to me so I have to gat a hold of my phone company.
 
Reba said:
Calling a third party (friend or family member) doesn't seem like the best way to get fast emergency service. What if they don't answer right away? If your house is on fire, or someone is breaking into the house you don't have time to wait. Also, if you're under a lot of stress and fear, it's not easy to text a clear message.
Click to expand...


No shit, its almost like being financially punished for having an emergency--whatever the cause is. That to me just sounds dispicable, something someone came up with to make a fast buck.

It might encourage people to actually go ahead and dial a 3rd party just to escape the fine in which case could prove disasterous depending on the circumstances since extra time will obviously be in play.
 
It amazes me that this is an issue. Deaf people should not have to have this worry. Maybe like a panic button or something. I am not an inventor, but seems something could be done for emergency besides the phone. Not use to using phones because of deafness, her answer of 'text cousin' was her first response and her normal one. Not being able to hear if call connected or speak was her worry. Any inventors out there that can come up with something that would SHOW a connection on a land line for the 911...
 
people should be aware that the FCC has relaxed the 911 access laws meening in some ares if you don't have a pay service you also don't have 911 so writing to your representative can go a long way . if you have a cel phone for texting and you can speek some dileing and saying help and ware you are and you cant here will get the cops thier , i myself would lie to see more TTY services have 911 service , i belive I711 now has 911 service but that my only help if you have a sidekick.
 
911 is best from a hardwired landline phone (phone jack in the wall). This shows the address associated with that landline and the phone company. Cell phones will go off of GPS tracking and how the signal is hitting the towers...and is not always accurate to the address. I've had my cell phone be a block or two off before...or the community behind mine.

If its an emergency, do not hang up. 911 hangups usually do not get the highest priority of a response. Jiro mentioned it and I will say it too. If you are able to speak at all (even if its not clear), then speak what you can into the phone. Even if its just "Help, Help, Help". This will get the dispatchers attention and help will be coming much faster.

Many 911 call centers have TTY capabilities. Ours does but it is something I have never seen in use.
 
Back
Top