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The 911 Disconnect Creates Dangerous Gap

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 24, 2008

"911, what is your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance. My mother just called and I think my dad is having a heart attack!"

"What is the address, sir?"

"It's the Madeira Palms Condos in Madeira Beach."

"Sir, you've called Hillsborough County Emergency Services. You need to call Pinellas County."

"But I live in Tampa. Can you transfer me?"

"No, sir. You'll have to call them yourself."

"OK, what's the number?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't have that number."

"You don't? What am I supposed to do then?"

"Sir, I suggest you call information."

This is an actual conversation. It took place around 3:30 a.m. on a Monday morning. My husband and I had just been startled awake by a call from his mother. When her husband collapsed, she did the most instinctive thing she knew to do - phone her son.

She stammered into the receiver, trying desperately to communicate with her stroke-damaged speech. Her inability to speak clearly kept her from calling emergency services herself. Plus, like many snowbirds, she had no local phone number, just a cell phone. So my husband dialed 911 for her.

We followed the operator's suggestion and called information. A machine answered and rather than Madeira Beach, it connected us to Vero Beach. We tried again. This time, a real operator connected us to the Pinellas County Sheriff's non-emergency number, which immediately connected us to 911. It took a total of 15 minutes to reach the right 911 - precious minutes that could have made the difference between life and death.

Luckily, my father-in-law's medical issue was not immediately life-threatening. But the experience made me aware of several problems I had never considered. One is that county 911 systems don't connect and operators lack the basic information needed to forward callers to the emergency line in adjoining counties.

Another is the growing use of cell phones, instead of land-line phones that can be used by 911 operators to determine a street address. With E-911 - enhanced 911 services - operators can determine the vicinity of a cell phone call, but not the exact address - and certainly not an apartment in a multifamily building.

It should be required that the vacation-rental industry install a land-line telephone in every rental unit - just for emergencies. Phone companies must provide a dial tone and 911 service for every phone line, even if there is no phone number registered to it.

And everyone who visits should plan ahead for how they will contact emergency services if needed. Keeping the right numbers handy could save lives.

Most importantly, 911 system operators should be trained to connect a caller with another system. At the very least, they should have a list of non-emergency police and fire numbers to give out.

I'm glad we learned about the 911 glitch without having to wonder whether the delay cost my father-in-law's life.

Mostly, I'm glad for the opportunity to get the word out so that others don't find themselves in a similar situation.

Be safe out there, and keep those emergency numbers handy.

Kris DiGiovanni teaches in Pasco County, her second career after 15 years working in computer information services.

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