911- not 100 %

[hudson144 150]

AT 0410 THIS MORNING FDMV WAS DISPATCHED TO AN ATTIC FIRE AT 11 FREDERICK PLACE,UPON ARRIVAL UNITS DID NOT EVEN LOCATE A # 11 BECAUSE IT DID NOT EXIST. ACTUALLY, IT DID EXIST BUT IT WAS ABOUT 6 MILES AWAY IN YONKERS AND IT WAS A 10-29 (WORKING FIRE) IN YONKERS. BEWARE- AS MUCH OF AN ASSET THAT 911 IS, ITS NOT 100 %!!!!

[JBE 328]

This is something that happens quite regularly. Especially with the proliferation of cell phones. It isn't necessarily the fault of the call taker in as much as it's the caller. Without going too far off topic, how many times have you been dispatched for an incident on the highway and it turns out to be in someone elses' district because the person gave the exit they just passed when they spoke to the dispatcher?? Instead of where the incident actually was.

One of the biggest problems we have here in NYC, is people giving their house number, then the cross street, then the street they live on. Educating the public and better technology are my hopes to improve upon the problem.

PS, this is my way of saying there are some really DUMB people out there.

[20y2 43]

If you call from a cell phone, its picked up the state troopers, then transferred to where they think the guy is calling from, which usually is right, but from time to time is wrong.

[gss131 212]

I thinlk when locating an address, the first step would be to get the city,,No???

[Jybehofd 85]

well the state trooper just hired some new dispatchers from what i have heard in the local westchester area. not too sure where they came from but it has been intresting from what some things i have heard.

[Guest]

[bEWARE- AS MUCH OF AN ASSET THAT 911 IS, ITS NOT 100 %!!!!]

The E-911 system in Westchester County is they worst set-up in the country! No were else that I know of, in this country the 911 system has 54 or 57 answering points. It all depends on what police station is opening or closing this week.

911 calls should go to one location. In Westchester County there should be 6 points of answering the 911 call. All the city should have there own answering point and then the rest of the county.

Some one is going to die with the 911 system the way it is now . You never will know it may have happened already. They wont tell you!

[Fireman488 57]

I heard recently that some cable phone systems do not allow access to 911.

I don't know if that's true, but if so, that is very disturbing.

[Guest]

No 911 is not perfect !

But we can make it better.

1st confirm the address and phone number of caller.

always have the caller tell you the address, phone number and city they are calling from.

If the cad system does not take an address, its a good chance it dont exist.

For further call taking and dispatch training sign up at montour falls

[Firemn2742A 14]

Just a thought , couldnt the phone company print the emergency agency that appears on the screen for the customer on a monthly bill ? In other words your phone bill would ask the question ,,, Is the responce information correct from the Town , City ,Village emergency service that protects the home.

When E-911 started in Westchester County everyone was checking the information that appears on the display. People would call and say " Do you see Yonkers listed as my Police Dept ?"

This may not be the case in this situation. hudson144 is bringing up a very true fact !!

Edited March 7, 2006 by Firemn2742A

[Guest]

I heard recently that some cable phone systems do not allow access to 911.

I don't know if that's true, but if so, that is very disturbing.

←

Vonage, for example, offers a few different options to customers: Basic 911 allows users to call 911 but the dispatch center does not receive any address/phone number etc. so the caller must provide all the info. E911 provides phone # and registered address.

However, those who do not have access to either service rely on the Vonage national emergency call center. In this case, an agent receives the call, gathers information (info is not sent like E911), then contacts the user's local 911 and forwards the information.

For these reasons, users are required to register their physical address when they sign up.

In addition, 911 calling is not available during power or broadband outages.

[Guest]

I work in Putnam County and the 911 system has gone down twice so far, leaving us all out in the field with our pants around our ankels. This past Sunday was the most recent burp in the system, and it seemed to take a while to get back up - and at the same time Lake Carmel had 2 working fires in a matter of hours. While its sad that in 2006 we are still plagued by problems like this, you have got to hand it to dispatchers across the country who really work their asses off to things straigth.

[Remember585 815]

While I agree that the location of emergencies can be confusing, I also think that whomever took the call for the fire HUDSON144 is referring to should of done the following;

Got the address.

Got the City name.

Got a call back #.

Three pretty basic questions that help immensely when dealing with a reported fire, at least in my opinion.

Of course, if a certain law enforcement agency took the call first they may not have confirmed it prior to dumping it on the Fire Departments in this case.

It's always fun being given cellular transfers for Brooklyn here in Westchester...but we'll leave it at that. For now, that is.

[JBE 328]

What is the address??

What streets are on the corners??

What is the emergency??

As for the NYC/Westchester cell transfers. We get em too. I've gotten Chappaqua and Rockland County.

[CAM502 6]

Ok first off it was not a cell phone caller. I do beleive Hudson was saying that the 911 screen stated 11 Fredrick Pl Mount Vernon Followed by MV PD, MV FD, MV Ambulance. In other words the caller dialed 911 and verizon routed them to the MV PSAP instead of the Yonkers PSAP. This is definitely a Phone Co screw up.

[Guest]

  This is definitely a Phone Co screw up.

←

This is what I am talking about The 911 system in Westchester County need to be looked at. And a change needs to be made. The 911 call should go to one point of dispatch. The way it is now is like the old game Tel-phone. The County should look to the north, Dutchess County 911 dispatch far ahead of Westchester.

Edited March 9, 2006 by STEAMERMAN

[IzzyEng4 427]

AT 0410 THIS MORNING FDMV WAS DISPATCHED TO AN ATTIC FIRE AT 11 FREDERICK PLACE,UPON ARRIVAL UNITS DID NOT EVEN LOCATE A # 11 BECAUSE IT DID NOT EXIST. ACTUALLY, IT DID EXIST BUT IT WAS ABOUT 6 MILES AWAY IN YONKERS AND IT WAS A 10-29 (WORKING FIRE) IN YONKERS. BEWARE- AS MUCH OF AN ASSET THAT 911 IS, ITS NOT 100 %!!!!

←

Working 911 for 6 years I could have told you that. Even with the e-911 the information comes from the phone company and they are not right 100% of the time. Another problem is cellphone calls. Until Phase 3 is done withe the GPS in the phones, you cannot pinpoint an excat location on every phone. Only a few providers actually have this feature in the current Phase 2. Verison, Cingular and Sprint are the only ones that can give a GPS reading. Verison thoug is a pain because they are sending the GPS signal through the same frequency as the talk out on the phone. This cuts out the voice when your tring to talk to the caller and have to keep asking questions over. This last usually win the first 15 seconds of the call or transfer.

I have made some bad mistakes in the past on wrong location because of the information provided by the caller. It happens but fellow dispatchers don not get complacent! Thank god no one got hurt during my incident. The dispatcher has to make sure he / she has the right answer. Computers are not perfect and neither are humans when they are excited during an emergency. Have to stay on top of things and notiy the phone company when there are problems with the Ani / Ali information.

[Dr. Zuki 1]

You can have a situation where is caller is from out of town and simply reads off of the nearest street signs, many of which are incorrect because they use postal, not official addresses like the many signs on the Bronx River Parkway for "Crestwood" or portions of Greenburgh with Scarsdale postal address on the entire length of Central Avenue.

Who, not knowing better, would even think that North White Plains is actually North Castle ??? Or this entire other maze of overlapping school districts. Port Chester middle school i actually located in Rye Brook, yet somebody from out of town calling 911 would assume to call Port Chester PD or FD in an emergency.

The Greenburgh multiplex theater is in Elmsford, yet Greenburgh PD handles calls there. How would Joe Public reasonably know this when callling for the first time?

Bottom Line: Have precinct phone numbers stored in your cell phone and paper phone book just in case.

[210 91]

Working 911 for 6 years I could have told you that.  Even with the e-911 the information comes from the phone company and they are not right 100% of the time.  Another problem is cellphone calls.  Until Phase 3 is done withe the GPS in the phones, you cannot pinpoint an excat location on every phone.  Only a few providers actually have this feature in the current Phase 2.  Verison, Cingular and Sprint are the only ones that can give a GPS reading.  Verison thoug is a pain because they are sending the GPS signal through the same frequency as the talk out on the phone.  This cuts out the voice when your tring to talk to the caller and have to keep asking questions over.  This last usually win the first 15 seconds of the call or transfer.

I have made some bad mistakes in the past on wrong location because of the information provided by the caller.  It happens but fellow dispatchers don not get complacent!  Thank god no one got hurt during my incident. The dispatcher has to make sure he / she has the right answer.  Computers are not perfect and neither are humans when they are excited during an emergency.  Have to stay on top of things and notiy the phone company when there are problems with the Ani / Ali information.

←

Very true. And there's nobody out here that hasnt made a mistake or two or three. But I think overall we all do a pretty good job taking care of our public.