by Lirpa Yadsloof

Created on: April 27, 2008

Absolutely not. Text messaging should not be used to notify 911 in any emergency situation. The cell phone calls that 911 centers receive on a daily basis are overwhelming an already overwhelmed system, and the main part of the problem is lack of information about where the cell phone caller is calling from!

It is a common misconception that 911 centers can easily trace cell phone calls. Many people have read about "Enhanced 9-1-1," or "E911," when signing up for a cell-phone plan, or buying a new cell phone. E911 is usually billed as "emergency location service," and it gives people a false sense of security when calling 911.

When you call 911 from your cell phone, the dispatcher answering the phone will see a location on the screen or map that approximates the location you are calling from. The location is derived from triangulating the callers cell phone signal, the nearest cell phone tower, and the 911 center's receiving tower. This location can be accurate to 50 feet, or sometimes 150 miles. It's far from an exact science. If a 911 center takes a cell phone call, and the person calling doesn't know where they are, or are unable to speak, a cell phone trace is initiated.

First, the cell phone carrier (Verizon, AT&T, etc) is contacted. The 911 dispatcher explains the situation, and asks for a cell phone trace. If the connection is still unbroken, the cell phone carrier can then "ping" the location for as long as there is an open line. Sometimes, due to repeated "pings," the cell phone's location can be narrowed down to a workable area to search. Other times, especially when the line has been disconnected, the cell phone carrier can only provide the home address and contact number of the person who has signed up for that phone number. In situations such as car accidents or medical emergencies, this information is generally not helpful.

Usually, people are surprised at the time delay that a cell phone trace causes. From the time 911 is called, a cell phone trace can take anywhere from five minutes to several hours, depending on the cell phone carrier. Most major cell phone carriers require a "letter of demand" from 911 centers. This means a formal request explaining the situation must be faxed over to the cell phone carrier's office before they will release any information about the owner of that cell phone. Depending on the workload in the 911 center, this can be very problematic, especially when they are trying to find the location of a life-threatening

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