911 calls

Dixie said:
Perhaps this may be a better solution:

have a friend make a tape recording explaining your situation such as:
My name is David, I am deaf and I cannot hear you. I am in need of emergency assistance, my address is 12345 Rosebud Lane. My phone number is 555-1234.

When you need assistance - dial 911 then put the receiver over the speaker of the tape player. Leave it there until assistance arrives.
Click to expand...

This is an excellant idea! Good thinking!
 
Dixie said:
as I said reba - it is SOME and not all.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know. I'm glad that not all of them do that. :)

Those that dont send anyone out when there is no voice on the other end are the ones that get alot of prank calls, children playing with the phone and whatnot.
Click to expand...
IMO, it would be better to come down harder on pranksters than to risk not responding to a real emergency. Also, some pranksters speak their false "emergencies" on the phone, so that's not really a dependable way to sort the real from the fake calls.


If there is an intruder in the house get out anyway you can it is better than trying to 'hide'. Get out of the house and go to a neighbors to dial 911.
Click to expand...
Of course that's preferable but not always possible. Sometimes people get trapped in areas where they can't escape. (That's where home defense guns come in handy but that's a different topic.)
 
Reba said:
Yes, I know. I'm glad that not all of them do that. :)


IMO, it would be better to come down harder on pranksters than to risk not responding to a real emergency. Also, some pranksters speak their false "emergencies" on the phone, so that's not really a dependable way to sort the real from the fake calls.
Click to expand...
I think this tends to be the case in more rural areas like where I live. Someone bumps the 911 on their cell phone, or their child starts playing with the phone and dials 911 then puts it down or kids being kids "just to see if they will send someone out". I think it happens less frquently in bigger cities where they do have the manpower to respond to more of these types of calls where someone isnt responding to dispatch. But again in these rural areas, dispatch knows alot of the older peoples 911 address and often when they call it out to the EMTs and Medics they will say - Unresponsive call from the Joe James residence in Gravelly - note he is a known diabetic. How do they know - they get frequent calls from that address that are related to diabetes or heart trouble. Yeah its that rural of an area.



Of course that's preferable but not always possible. Sometimes people get trapped in areas where they can't escape. (That's where home defense guns come in handy but that's a different topic.)
Click to expand...

Then keep the 12 ga, with the goose shells under the bed. :smoking::twisted:
 
If you don't have a phone, but you have a mobile device like a Sidekick... use that.

I don't have a phone in this house. I probably won't have a phone in my new apartment either. I haven't used a phone since May 2001.

By law, cell phones are supposed to connect to 911 whether they are activated or inactivated. If you have an old Sidekick laying around, leave it charging in the kitchen where your phone would normally be. That way, if there's an emergency of any kind... just dial 911... wait a few seconds... and state your emergency (ambulance, robber, fire, help, etc).
 
VamPyroX said:
...By law, cell phones are supposed to connect to 911 whether they are activated or inactivated. ...
Click to expand...
The problem is where there is no signal. Sometimes I'm out in the country, or in a shielded building, and I can't get a signal. Sometimes I can get the "emergency signal only" but sometimes I get no signal, nothing. :(
 
speaking of cell phones I havent carried one since 2004. But you're right Reba in certain places even a cell phone will be of no benefit because the signal can't get out.

Im hoping that wireless companies are progressively working on this issue so that no matter where you are at your'e cell will always be able to reach emergency services.

Also here's another kicker some places such as movie theatres and restaurants get an OK from the FCC to install 'signal scramblers' on their buildings if they feel that cell phone use by patrons within the building is bad for buisness. This renders the cell phone useless within these buildings.
 
Dixie said:
Also here's another kicker some places such as movie theatres and restaurants get an OK from the FCC to install 'signal scramblers' on their buildings if they feel that cell phone use by patrons within the building is bad for buisness. This renders the cell phone useless within these buildings.
Click to expand...


Well I think we don't have to worry much if we are in places like this. Because there's probably already a indoor phone that the manager can use if there's an emergency.

I want to understand this correctly, deaf people can use sidekick to dial 911? And how do they communicate? Using IM? Forgive my ignorance, but I never own something like a blackberry or sidekick. So I don't understand how deaf person can communicate using cellphone.
 
remember the Russian hostage/masscre situation in the theatre some years back? I think a cell phone would have been useful in that instant.
 
They got built in GPS which tells 911 dispatcher the exact location of the cell phone (within 3 feet radius), if no response they will send cop over. So, no need to communicate at all.
Silentwolfdog said:
I want to understand this correctly, deaf people can use sidekick to dial 911? And how do they communicate? Using IM? Forgive my ignorance, but I never own something like a blackberry or sidekick. So I don't understand how deaf person can communicate using cellphone.
Click to expand...
 
Dixie said:
Also here's another kicker some places such as movie theatres and restaurants get an OK from the FCC to install 'signal scramblers' on their buildings if they feel that cell phone use by patrons within the building is bad for buisness. This renders the cell phone useless within these buildings.
Click to expand...

No, those are illegal. People have placed them, but the day someone tries to make an emergency call and gets blocked due to those scramblers, they're gonna get sued and the caller will win.

And there's no way in heck a signal can be placed within 3 feet -- 30 feet, yes, 60-100 feet is more likely, but the tower triangulation methods that are used to determine where someone is based on their cell signal is not accurate enough for "3 feet" of triangulation. GPS chips do a good job of making sure it's more accurate than 100 feet, but these are not military bombing targets here -- the level of accuracy is for the emergency crews to be in the right area to provide help, but it won't help pinpoint where you are if you're in a building that they have to search for you. A 911 call in my office building on a cell phone would require they search seven floors and 20 different company offices to find you! Not to mention the bathrooms.....
 
diehardbiker said:
They got built in GPS which tells 911 dispatcher the exact location of the cell phone (within 3 feet radius), if no response they will send cop over. So, no need to communicate at all.
Click to expand...

That kinda suck since what if deaf person need a firefighter or need to go to hospital? Waiting for a cop to arrive and then have cop call for a appropriate service can waste deaf person's valuable minutes that could have make a difference. Sometimes communicate can make a big difference because person on other side could have told you what you have to do whether it's to save your life or others while you wait for someone to arrive.
 
Reba said:
The problem is where there is no signal. Sometimes I'm out in the country, or in a shielded building, and I can't get a signal. Sometimes I can get the "emergency signal only" but sometimes I get no signal, nothing. :(
Click to expand...
Well, that's likely to happen if you're traveling... use a pay phone. :)
 
Silentwolfdog said:
That kinda suck since what if deaf person need a firefighter or need to go to hospital? Waiting for a cop to arrive and then have cop call for a appropriate service can waste deaf person's valuable minutes that could have make a difference. Sometimes communicate can make a big difference because person on other side could have told you what you have to do whether it's to save your life or others while you wait for someone to arrive.
Click to expand...

It's no different than dialing 911 on a regular phone, unless you use a TTY.

Can someone explain why the deaf community isn't fighting so hard for a 911 solution for cell phones or VRS? This situation we have now is unacceptable. It's time for 911 capabilities to catch up- with the times. Many deaf people don't use TTY's anymore, but that's the only real option that exists. (other than Sorensons solution, which stll needs improving, but is nice to know it's there.)
 
dkf747 said:
It's no different than dialing 911 on a regular phone, unless you use a TTY.

Can someone explain why the deaf community isn't fighting so hard for a 911 solution for cell phones or VRS? This situation we have now is unacceptable. It's time for 911 capabilities to catch up- with the times. Many deaf people don't use TTY's anymore, but that's the only real option that exists. (other than Sorensons solution, which stll needs improving, but is nice to know it's there.)
Click to expand...

Good point.

Umm, I still use TTY so I don't have a problem unless I am on road then I am pretty much screwed. I never use VRS. I am somewhere surprised you can't dial 911 and using VRS as communication form.
 
Sidekicks do not have GPS yet. That feature is supposed to be in Sidekick 4 but I have a Sidekick 3 and it does not have this feature. I have done research on this and it is not there in the Sidekick 3.
 
Silentwolfdog said:
Good point.

Umm, I still use TTY so I don't have a problem unless I am on road then I am pretty much screwed. I never use VRS. I am somewhere surprised you can't dial 911 and using VRS as communication form.
Click to expand...

Yup that s what I was wondering how do we deaf contact 911 if we need help when we are on the road. I m going to get cell phone that comes with gps which would be easier for operators to locate my whereabouts.
 
diehardbiker said:
They got built in GPS which tells 911 dispatcher the exact location of the cell phone (within 3 feet radius), if no response they will send cop over. So, no need to communicate at all.
Click to expand...

I didn't know this either! Thanks for sharing this information.
 
SuziMaria said:
Once I had to call 911 and I was really nervous but had to act quickly so
I used my HA phone switch volumne turned up and listen for the dial tone then listen for the ringing and answering with voice. I said "I am deaf, my name, my address, my phone" and I left the phone handle on the floor so if police department could not understand me, then could trace my call.

This is the only way that I know how to contact 911 quickly.
Click to expand...

I'm deafblind and had a similar situation in which I had to call 911 for my mother who needed immediate medical attention. I dialed 911, told the operator that I was deafblind, needed immediate medical help and kept the phone on the hook so the operator could hear what was happening in the background. Since I couldn't hear to tell when the operator answered the phone, I repeated myself several times before placing the phone down so the operator could listen to my end of the line.

In that circumstance, I had to call 911 from my mother's home. I have a TeleBraille (Braille TTY) that I could use if I needed to call 911. However, given how slow communication would be in terms of someone answering my call, me typing my emergency and the operator typing a response, I think the best option would be to dial 911, inform the operator that you are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind and leave the phone on the hook so the operator can hear what is happening on your end of the phone line.

By the way, you can also inform emergency personnel ahead of time that you are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind so they have this information available at the time of an emergency.

I also have an envelope attached to my refrigerator which contains all of my medical information (doctor contact information, medications, past/current health conditions, past surgeries, etc.) which can also be helpful to emergency personnel especially if/when communication is a barrier.
 
Back
Top