Public Access
When a citizen is suddenly confronted with a potentially life-threatening emergency, the person turns to EMS for help. To get that help, the citizen can use a variety of telecommunications devices but by far the most common means is to call on a telephone.
Previously the citizen had to memorize a seven-digit number for that jurisdiction. This often led to confusion and mistakes, some that were fatal. The obvious answer was to have a universal number for emergencies. Britain has had a universal number, 9-9-9, since 1937. However, the United States did not see a universal number, 9-1-1, until 1967.39-42 When that famous 9-1-1 call was made from Haleyville, Alabama, in 1967, the era of modern telecommunications was ushered in.
Early 9-1-1 service provided the public immediate access to the local public safety access point (PSAP), as well as automatic number identification (ANI), so that a "call-back" could be performed if necessary. Since that time, basic 9-1-1 has been improved. Enhanced 9-1-1 is now in use. Not only does it provide rapid access to emergency services, but computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) technology identifies the caller’s location as well.
With the growing number of mobile cellular telephones which cannot utilize the 9-1-1 technology, the early advantages of 9-1-1 location identification may have been lost. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now working with the telecommunications industry and has undertaken a special wireless project that permits identification of a cellular telephone’s location within 125 meters. Telecommunications professionals, represented by the National Emergency Number Association, have been working to improve the public’s access to EMS.