Los Gatos, California Since1881
Town News
| New emergency number faster for cell users By Mandy Major Whenever there's an emergency, the firstthought that comes to mind is dialing 911. But if you're a cell phone user, think again. After multiple complaints concerning the lagtime between calls made to 911 on cell phonesand the appearance of help, a solution hasbeen created. That solution locally is 408.299.2311. The number might be longer than the original,but it promises to dispatch help faster whencalls are placed from a wireless phone. The reason is this: Within Santa ClaraCounty, calls made by cell phones for 911 arerouted outside of the county by a separateclearing station. Once that call is connectedto the outside site, it is then dispatchedback to local authorities. What this can meanfor a caller is an idle time of roughly 30minutes. This roundabout routing system is attributedto the cell phone company, and as countySheriff's Captain Dennis Bacon notes, "thereis legislation in Sacramento trying to fixthe situation, but it will take some time." With the new number, which local sheriffshave been announcing at recent NeighborhoodWatch and identity theft meetings, they arehoping to eliminate a portion of that waitingperiod between call and assistance. Theyanticipate the new number to be much fasterthan dialing 911, as it is a direct line tocounty communications, where calls will beimmediately dispatched to the appropriateemergency team. |
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