When 911 calls fail

Re:When 911 calls fail by agarden on Friday October 03, 2014 @06:18PM (#8407937)

This looks like an opportunity for an app. Your phone has GPS and a better idea of where you are than the cell network. What if you could open a 911 app, tick a few check boxes (Is this a medical emergency? violent situation? Do you require an ambulance, fire truck, and/or police?), and it would post your GPS coordinates and your cell number. The local dispatch office would than automatically call you and hook you up with a dispatcher who gets the details.

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Re:When 911 calls fail by tomjen3 on Saturday October 04, 2014 @09:06AM (#8409396)

Better yet, you wouldn't even need to actually talk to them, which means you would be free to provide assistance in an emergency, not risking making a sound in a home invasion and the GPS could stay on, allowing emergency crews to keep track of where you are.

Talking takes time, attention and requires you to use your hands - something that is not desireable in an emergency.

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Re:When 911 calls fail by peeters on Friday October 03, 2014 @06:21PM (#8407951)

What is this theoretical app providing that isn't established within the first 10 seconds of a 911 call?

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Re:When 911 calls fail by bronbron on Friday October 03, 2014 @06:34PM (#8408016)

It could be a much faster, nicer way to answer the question 'where are you?'

This is obviously anecdotal, but I've had to call 911 a couple times (I live in NYC, things happen on the subway). Explaining where I am took up 75% of those calls. They want very precise details and it's sometimes hard to answer to the level of detail they want.

Example: I once had to call 911 when a woman fainted in the middle of the platform. I spent (seriously) several minutes explaining my location to the 911 operator. I was waiting for a train that only has one platform - the train goes east/west, and eastbound stops on the opposite side of the same platform as the westbound. The 911 operator couldn't process this and kept asking me whether I was on the westbound or the eastbound platform.

We wasted a few minutes going back and forth on this - which could've been critical if the woman was in need of urgent medical care.

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Re:When 911 calls fail by xanderstrike on Friday October 03, 2014 @07:28PM (#8408180)

It would also allow you to make a 911 "call" silently, which in some (admittedly rare) circumstances would be a huge benefit.

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Re:When 911 calls fail by moatra on Friday October 03, 2014 @06:37PM (#8408028)

10 seconds

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Re:When 911 calls fail by Dylan16807 on Friday October 03, 2014 @08:07PM (#8408278)

No, you spent that time ticking check boxes.

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Re:When 911 calls fail by MichaelGG on Friday October 03, 2014 @07:05PM (#8408118)

Since SMS 911 is on its way, the app would only need to populate this info into a text message and send.

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