Any Cell Phone, with or without Active Cellular Service Can Dial
911
In 1997, the US Congress mandated that
cellular phone companies allow any compatible cell phone to call 911 on
their network. Even cell phones that don't subscribe to a cellular phone
company. This is a great way to ensure the safety of everyone in your
family: If you
have an old, working cellular phone lying around the house, give it to a
family member for use in emergencies. Lifeline Cellular has suitable
cell phones available for only $34.95, a
small price for a lifetime of security. Also, consider
donating your working, unused cellular phones
to organizations who make them available free to people in need.
Call 911 on a Regular (Landline) Phone if Possible
If you are near a traditional (landline) phone in an emergency
situation, use this phone to dial 911. Emergency centers see more specific
information when called on a landline phone, such as name and address of the
telephone subscriber. In addition, cellular 911 calls are typically routed to a
Highway Patrol or Sheriff's Office call center and are transferred to the appropriate agency if
necessary. For these reasons, if you have an emergency at a home or
business, use traditional phone to dial 911, rather than your cellular
phone.
If You are not Paying for Cellular Service,
Emergency Centers Cannot Call You Back
Even though you can use any cellular phone to dial 911, phones that are
not paying for service with a cellular phone company will not have a phone
number. Therefore, the 911 emergency center will not be able to call you
back if you use a phone that doesn't have active service. You must call 911
back if your call is lost. If having a callback number is important to you,
consider a pre-paid plan which can be as low as $2.50 per month.
Do Not Test Your Phone by Calling 911!
This is illegal and inconsiderate of others who are calling with real
emergencies. As amazing as it may sound, the California Highway Patrol
recently reported that 60 to 80 percent of the emergency 911 calls they
receive are not emergency related (San Jose Mercury News, 12/24/04). If you
wish to test your phone, please call a non-emergency number. Have faith that
the wireless carrier from whom your cell phone is receiving a signal will
put your call through to 911.
You Must Have a Cellular Signal to Dial 911
Your cell phone will indicate whether or not it has a signal and
how strong of a signal it is receiving. Cellular phone radio signals are in
most areas of the country and the coverage is being expanded every day. Major roads
and highways typically have cellular coverage. Most towns (even small
towns) have cellular coverage. You are likely to find that where ever you go,
cellular coverage will be the rule and not the exception.
To Call 911, You Must Dial 9-1-1 and Press the Green Send
or Yes Key
Making calls on cellular phones is a little different from making calls
on traditional phones. There is no dial tone; instead, you dial the number
and then press the green "Send" button. On some phone models, the button has
a symbol or the word "Yes" rather than "Send." But on all cellular phones, the Send
button is the only button that has a green marking. To make an emergency 911 call, do not wait for a dial tone.
Just dial the numbers 911, press the green Send button and your call will be
connected.
Some Cellular Phones Have Their Keypads Locked
Most cellular phones have a feature which disables the buttons on the
keypad to prevent users from inadvertently pressing buttons when the cell
phone is in their pockets or purse. It is important to know whether or not
this feature is enabled on your phone. An emergency is not the time to learn
about this feature! Your instruction manual will describe this feature,
which is typically called "key guard" or "keypad locking." In general, you can
determine whether the keys are locked on your cell phone by pressing the any
of the number keys. If the number does not appear on the screen or if you
see a message about your keys being locked, this feature is enabled.
Leave Your Cellular Phone Turned On
Turning on your cellular phone can take up to 30 seconds. In an
emergency, this amount of time can be crucial. A cell phone can
typically remain on and ready to make a call for four days to a week before
it requires recharging. Your
battery charge indicator will tell you when you need to charge it again. If
you primarily keep your emergency cell phone in your car, consider an
automobile charger that uses your cigarette lighter to power your phone.
Ensure You Always Have Enough Battery Power to Make
a Call
Even though your cellular phone is powered on, if your battery is low,
there is a chance you could run out of power during your emergency call.
Never let your battery run below 25%. Older batteries will lose power
faster, so be sure to buy a new battery when you notice that your battery
power depletes in a short amount of time.
