Wireless emergency services

Article By:

Driscoll, Clement J. Palos Verdes Peninsula, California.

Last reviewed:2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB001541

Fast response can be the key to saving lives in an emergency. In the 1960s, the U.S. government reserved 911 as the telephone number to be used for requesting emergency assistance, because this number can be easily memorized and dialed quickly. Since that time, public safety agencies in the United States have invested heavily in Enhanced 911 (E911) service, which provides for automatic display of the calling party's address and phone number on the public safety operator's console. However, in recent years wireless communication networks, such as cellular and personal communication services (PCS), which cannot locate emergency callers, have been deployed throughout the United States. This is a growing concern because nearly 100,000 wireless 911 calls are placed each day and that number continues to increase. Unfortunately, public safety officials report that many wireless emergency callers cannot accurately describe their location.

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