When someone calls 911, seconds matter. That’s why the first question a 911 dispatcher asks is, “What is the address of the emergency?”
A decade ago, if someone called and didn’t know the address, emergency call centers would send out police officers with their sirens on and tell the caller, “Tell us when you can hear the siren.”
That’s because the call center could base a caller’s location only on cell towers, which can cover an area of up to 10 miles. Not only did police and rescue have trouble finding people, but calls also got routed to the wrong call center.
