Dateline: February 5, 2004

Sheriff's office offers 9-1-1 awareness tips

By Ashlee Kidd & Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Imagine you are having a heart attack, someone calls 911 for help, but the ambulance looks for you in a completely different town. That’s exactly what can happen if you make that call from a cellular phone.

Callers using cell phones to contact 911 need to be aware that calls may not be reaching the 911 operator nearest them.

According to the sheriff’s department, cellular 911 calls go to the first available tower, not necessarily to the nearest 911 dispatcher. Calls come into the Donley County dispatcher from Canadian, Shamrock, Wheeler, and Memphis; and cellular calls made from Clarendon have been received by 911 operators as far away as Briscoe County and Hall County.

Donley County Sheriff Butch Blackburn says the problem is particularly bad when it comes to residential cellular or so-called “box phones,” which do not provide dispatchers with the same information as landline phones.

“When you call us on a landline, our computer gives us your name and address,” Blackburn said. For rural residents, the computer also produces a map pinpointing the location of your home.  The same information is not available with a residential cellular phone.

“A lot of people have these now because they are so cheap compared to landlines,” the sheriff said, “but people need to be aware there is a reason the price is so low. You don’t get the same service.”

Blackburn said not being able to locate a caller can be a big problem with kids, who are taught to call 911 but are not taught where they are.

“People need to spend 20 minutes with their kids and teach them – particularly if they have a residential cell phone. Do they know their phone number? Do they know what town they are in? Do they know their address and their parents’ names?”

“Knowing this information could save the kids’ lives or their parents’ lives,” he said.

In order to guarantee a quick response from emergency personnel, the sheriff’s department advises that a caller should always identify what town they are in and where they are.

If on the road, the caller should be aware of where on the road they are. Be aware of mile markers and road signs and know your license plate number and the color, make, and model of your car.

“It could be the difference in us getting there or not,” Blackburn said.