Today we have two opposite ends the spectrum. A best case and a not-so-best case scenario having to do with 911 emergencies. This time I will be commenting on two scenarios that are not at all hypothetical like last week. These two events really happened and are fresh from the presses.
Our first case comes to us courtesy of CBS News‘ Early Show and their coverage today of a very fortunate young hiker on Granite Mountain in Washington State who was buried in an avalanche but managed to dig out his cell phone, dial 911 and get help from search and rescue. Although it took 45 minutes for him to dig out his cell phone, Rogers was able to contact help and get rescued. Of course his fortune is more profound than just the fact that he got rescued.
For example, Rogers reported to the Early Show that he was lucky because he had plenty of air via a small space where his head was that allowed air into what could have been a snowy grave. Also since he was able to verbally guide search and rescue to his location it’s clear that it was possible to speak. Another great thing is that he seemed to have the presence of mind and will to survive needed to stay calm so as not to complicate the rescue operation.
I love hearing stories in which our 911 heroes are successful in their charges, especially when they are able to save a life against almost impossible odds. But we all know that every second can and does count in many situations. In Rogers’ case he was very, very lucky. Especially considering many recent news reports of avalanches late this season that have claimed a number of lives (here are a few: Reuters, Canwest) recently.
I’m sure some of my more regular readers are already saying something to the effect of “what if he didn’t have that much air? what if he could not speak for any reason? what if there was no cell coverage?” etc. Indeed. Well there’s SafeKidZone for that. I myself do quite a bit of back country snowboarding in the winter and I always make sure to have a cell phone with me. I’d be crazy not too. Historically, since the onset of GPS, hardcore backcountry boarders always carried a GPS tranceiver on them and a mini shovel. Of course the reality is that most of us are not hardcore hikers, skiiers or boarders so we’re many times more likely to have a phone handy that we already own rather than a pricey transceiver when on the slopes. Since SafeKidZone uses the very same GPS technology that those life saving transceivers, I would not be surprised to see many skiiers, boarders and hikers with SafeKidZone on their phones next season.
On to part 2 of our double feature. This is, of course, the not so great scenario. Now before I talk about it, I’d just like to say that I write about these happenings not from a “we-told-you-so” standpoint. Rather, it comes from a shared passion in wanting to help improve upon 911 services to reduce the number of cases that go south simply because of a technical issue. We can help save lives by helping 911 get to the emergency with speed and accuracy so I comment on unfortunate scenarios more as a path to illuminate the possibilities.
The article (click here to read) it comes to us from Grady County, Oklahoma where a woman called 911 and the county’s systems were not able to locate her while the “woman who called 911 was hysterical and was begging someone to let her go.”
The article stated that “under normal circumstances, enhanced 911 systems will map a caller’s location with GPS coordinates. However, because the system was unable to determine the caller’s location, the dispatcher contacted the cell phone company so it could trace the phone.” The Sheriff called AT&T and got 3 wrong numbers, which ate up 35 minutes. Like our hiker, this unnamed woman was fortunate enough to have lived to tell the tale, if not a bit worse for the wear. It could have been a lot worse.
There are a few things to note when thinking critically of this issue.
- Was enhanced 911 (e911) in that county fully equipped to track 911 calls from cellphones?
- Why did it fail?
- What could have been done better?
The first item is important because e911 still has a ways to go, not just in Grady County, but in the USA at large. The reason for that is because for enhanced 911 it to work, e911 needs an equally enhanced service that not only gives GPS coordinates but keeps vital information stored in a safe place for those times when it’s needed to make GPS coordinates meaningful. So the reason it failed (number 2) is because they relied on only half the equation. Had the woman in distress used SafeKidZone - very much a service that completes the equation – 911 would have gotten the GPS coordinates, her centrally stored phone number AND a detailed description what the woman looks like with a photo. Additionally people in her family safety network would have been notified and could have conceivably offered assistance – especially in this particular case where the incident happened in or around the very neighborhood where the woman lives.
I guess that answers the question of “what could have been done better.”
As always, I strongly encourage you to go to the SafeKidZone site and hit the download button at the top left. Try our Beta and let us know what you think via Facebook and Twitter.
