Home California Bill Introduced to Streamline 9-1-1 Dispatch Efficiency for Wireless Callers

Bill Introduced to Streamline 9-1-1 Dispatch Efficiency for Wireless Callers

by ECT

SACRAMENTO — Assemblymember Das Williams (D – Carpinteria) on Monday introduced Assembly Bill 1564, which seeks to improve the 9-1-1 emergency call system when calling from a cell phone.

The introduction of AB 1564 is in response to a recent tragedy in Santa Barbara where a father, seeking assistance for his unresponsive daughter, experienced significant delays after dialing 9-1-1 from his cell phone. His emergency call was routed to CHP instead of to local emergency services. The delay in dispatching assistance resulted in his daughter’s untimely death. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident as many wireless calls statewide are routed to CHP and delays in response time result in tragedy. AB 1564 will ensure that wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed to the appropriate emergency response center.  In some areas that will be the CHP and in others it will be the local law enforcement.

“With the prevalence of cell phones and the rapid advancement in wireless telephone technology, it is unacceptable that wireless 9-1-1 emergency calls often do not reach first responders fast enough to save lives,” explained Assemblymember Williams. “It is my hope that this bill will decrease the number of tragedies like this one, and that people can seek emergency assistance with confidence.”

This bill requires the Office of Emergency Services (CAL OES) to work closely with the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Point) and the wireless industry to take all the necessary actions to improve the 9-1-1 system. A new process would ensure that people in emergency situations can get through to emergency responders in a safe and timely manner.

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1 comment

Jennifer Jan 5, 2016 - 10:58 am

If people would quit calling 911 “unnecessarily” just because they have a cell phone, maybe they wouldn’t have routed the calls to CHP. Unless it’s a real emergency, don’t call 911 and tie up the lines for “real emergencies.”

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