Seeking to ensure that all 9-1-1 calls receive a fast and complete response, Supervisor Don Knabe called for a report looking at the issues surrounding cell phone and internet-based 9-1-1 calls.

A recent Daily Breeze article tells of a man who collapsed at a Torrance business which had signed up for internet-based phone service. Another customer used the business’ internet phone to dial 9-1-1. A land-line call would have gone straight to the local 9-1-1 operator. But his call was answered by someone in Denver who worked for the internet phone service and needed to know where he was calling from in order to transfer the call to the right 9-1-1 operator, causing a delay in response.

Dialing 9-1-1 over a land line is fast and effective in part because two things automatically happen: 1) the call is routed to the right 9-1-1 operator, one who is assigned to serve the jurisdiction from which the call was made; 2) the street address of the phone’s location automatically appears on the operator’s screen. This means that help can be dispatched even if the caller does not know the address; for example, when a small child makes the call.

It is imperative that we get a complete picture of this situation, said Supervisor Knabe. We need to know more about this problem in order to make sure we do what is necessary to protect people’s health and well-being.