Editing 911 (emergency telephone number)

{{Short description|Emergency telephone number}}
{{About|the North American emergency telephone number|the emergency telephone number in the Philippines|911 (Philippines)|emergency telephone numbers generally|Emergency telephone number}}
{{redirect|9-1-1|the television series with the same name|9-1-1 (TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
[[File:FEMA - 7976 - Photograph by Mark Wolfe taken on 05-14-2003 in Tennessee.jpg|thumb|A dispatcher takes an emergency call at the [[Jackson, Tennessee]], 9-1-1 Dispatch Center.]]
[[File:Emergency telephone numbers in the world.svg|thumb|Global applications of [[ITU]]-approved<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758760/itu-911-112-standard-emergency-numbers|title=911, 108 and 112 are the world's standard emergency numbers, ITU decides|work=The Verge|access-date=July 26, 2018|archive-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416111209/https://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758760/itu-911-112-standard-emergency-numbers|url-status=live}}</ref> emergency telephone numbers (this map may not be entirely correct):{{legend|blue|112}}{{legend|yellow|911}}{{legend|green|112 and 911}}{{legend|black|Other number, no redirection or redirection for mobile phones only}}]]

'''911''', sometimes written {{nowrap|'''9-1-1'''}}, is an [[emergency telephone number]] for [[Argentina]], [[Canada]], [[Dominican Republic|the Dominican Republic]], [[Fiji]], [[Jordan]], [[Mexico]], [[Pakistan]], [[Maldives]], [[Palau]], [[Panama]], [[Iraq]], the [[Philippines]], [[Sint Maarten]], the [[United States]],<ref name="and-e9">{{Cite web |title=911 and E911 Services {{!}} Federal Communications Commission |url=https://www.fcc.gov/general/9-1-1-and-e9-1-1-services |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=www.fcc.gov |language=en |archive-date=December 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214153212/https://www.fcc.gov/general/9-1-1-and-e9-1-1-services |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Uruguay]], as well as the [[North American Numbering Plan]] (NANP), one of eight [[N11 code]]s. Like other emergency numbers, dialing 911 for purposes other than reporting an emergency is a crime in most jurisdictions. Penalties for abuse or misuse of 911 can range from probation or community service to fines and jail time. Offenders can also be ordered to undergo counseling and have their use of telephones restricted or suspended for a period of time as a condition of probation.

In over 98 percent of locations in Argentina, [[Sint Maarten]], Panama, Belize, Anguilla, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Jordan, Ethiopia, Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Uruguay, the United States, Iraq, Palau, Mexico, Tonga and Canada, dialing ''911'' from any telephone will link the caller to an emergency [[dispatcher|dispatch]] office—called a [[public safety answering point]] (PSAP) by the telecommunications industry—which can send [[Emergency service|emergency responders]] to the caller's location in an emergency. In approximately 96&nbsp;percent of the United States, the [[enhanced 911]] system automatically pairs caller numbers with a physical address.<ref name="FCC.9-1-1">{{Cite web |url=http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/911-services/ |website=Federal Communications Commission |title=9-1-1 Service |access-date=October 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928232230/http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/911-services/ |archive-date=September 28, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the Philippines, the [[911 (Philippines)|911]] emergency hotline has been available to the public since August 1, 2016, starting in [[Davao City]]. It is the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=911 Philippines is ready! |url=http://www.mb.com.ph/911-philippines-is-ready/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160803112707/http://www.mb.com.ph/911-philippines-is-ready/ |archive-date=August 3, 2016 |access-date=July 31, 2016 |website=Manila Bulletin |publisher=MB}}</ref> It replaces the previous emergency number ''117'' used outside Davao City.

As of 2017, a 911 system is in use in Mexico, and Argentina where any implementation in different states and municipalities is being conducted. {{clarify|date=January 2025}} Venezuela also has a 911 emergency service called VEN911. As of 2025, it has been in operation for almost 12 years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Escobar |first1=Rosanny |title=VEN 9-1-1 arriba a sus 9 años de creación – Ven 911 |url=https://ven911.gob.ve/?p=646 |website=Ven 911 |access-date=14 October 2023 |language=es |date=22 November 2022 |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223203043/https://ven911.gob.ve/?p=646 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
The first use of a national emergency telephone number began in the United Kingdom in 1937 using the number [[999 (emergency telephone number)|999]], which continues to this day.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 29, 2007|title=999 celebrates its 70th birthday|url=http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/ShowArticle.cfm?ArticleID=6e55cb12-8c0c-417f-b68c-6a7f62b1d8c8|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114072201/http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/ShowArticle.cfm?ArticleID=6e55cb12-8c0c-417f-b68c-6a7f62b1d8c8|archive-date=January 14, 2009|access-date=October 16, 2008|publisher=[[BT plc]]}}</ref> In the United States, the first 911 service was established by the [[Alabama Telephone Company]] and the first call was made in [[Haleyville, Alabama]], in 1968 by [[Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives|Alabama Speaker of the House]] [[Rankin Fite]] and answered by [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] [[Tom Bevill]].<ref name="and-e9"/><ref name="w454">{{cite web | title=History of 9-1-1 | website=Iredell County, NC | date=1968-03-01 | url=https://www.iredellcountync.gov/1768/History-of-9-1-1 | access-date=2024-07-15}}</ref> In Canada, 911 service was adopted in 1972, and the first 911 call occurred after a 1974 roll-out in [[London, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web | title=SPVM History | url=https://spvm.qc.ca/en/Pages/Discover-SPVM/Who-does-what/911-Emergency-Centre-/History | access-date=December 1, 2019 | publisher=[[Service de police de la Ville de Montréal]] | archive-date=April 6, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406191334/https://spvm.qc.ca/en/Pages/Discover-SPVM/Who-does-what/911-Emergency-Centre-/History | url-status=live }}</ref>

In the United States, the push for the development of a nationwide American emergency telephone number came in 1957 when the [[National Association of Fire Chiefs]] recommended that a single number be used for reporting fires.<ref name="NENA">{{Cite web |url=https://www.nena.org/?page=911overviewfacts |title=9-1-1 Origin & History |website=[[National Emergency Number Association]] |language=en |access-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515005550/https://www.nena.org/?page=911overviewfacts |url-status=dead}}</ref> The first city in North America to use a central emergency number was the Canadian city of [[Winnipeg]], Manitoba, in 1959, which instituted the change at the urging of [[Stephen Juba]], Mayor of Winnipeg at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.winnipeg.ca/police/History/history5.stm |title=History of the Winnipeg Police - Part Five - the Fifties & Sixties |first1=Jack |last1=Templeman |website=Winnipeg Police Service |access-date=October 16, 2008 |archive-date=June 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616142920/http://www.winnipeg.ca/police/History/history5.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Winnipeg initially used 999 as the emergency number<ref>{{cite news |title=Winnipeggers call 999 for help |publisher=CBC News |url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/science-technology/technology/canada-says-hello-the-first-century-of-the-telephone/winnipeggers-call-999-for-help.html |url-status=dead |access-date=October 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105054133/http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/science-technology/technology/canada-says-hello-the-first-century-of-the-telephone/winnipeggers-call-999-for-help.html |archive-date=November 5, 2012}}</ref> but switched numbers when 911 was proposed by the United States. 

In 1964, the rape and murder of [[Kitty Genovese]] in New York City greatly increased the urgency to create a central emergency number. ''The New York Times'' falsely reported that nobody had called the police in response to Genovese's cries for help. Some experts theorized that one source of reluctance to call police was due to the complexity of doing so; any calls to the police would go to a local precinct, and any response might depend on which individual sergeant or other ranking personnel might handle the call.<ref>"[https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/history-of-911-americas-emergency-service-before-and-after-kitty-genovese/ History of 911: America’s Emergency Service, Before and After Kitty Genovese]", January 19, 2017, by Carolyn Abate in Beyond the Films, PBS. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520191051/https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/history-of-911-americas-emergency-service-before-and-after-kitty-genovese/ |date=May 20, 2021 }}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-21 |title=How the Death of Kitty Genovese Birthed 911 and Neighborhood Watches |url=https://www.insideedition.com/how-the-death-of-kitty-genovese-birthed-911-and-neighborhood-watches-58288 |website=Inside Edition |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520192547/https://www.insideedition.com/how-the-death-of-kitty-genovese-birthed-911-and-neighborhood-watches-58288 |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Adoption Of 911 |url=https://iaedjournal.org/adoption-of-911/ |website=IAED Journal |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520191045/https://iaedjournal.org/adoption-of-911/ |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |date=April 2, 2018 |first1=Heather |last1=Darata }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Kristin |date=2018-06-08 |title=The murder of "Kitty" Genovese that led to the Bystander Effect & the 911 system |url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/08/kitty-genovese/ |website=The Vintage News |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520191219/https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/06/08/kitty-genovese/ |archive-date=May 20, 2021 }}</ref><ref>"[https://www.history.com/topics/crime/kitty-genovese Kitty Genovese]", August 21, 2018, History. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520191212/https://www.history.com/topics/crime/kitty-genovese |date=May 20, 2021 }}.</ref> 

In 1967, the [[President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice]] recommended the creation of a single number that could be used nationwide for reporting emergencies. The [[Federal Communications Commission]] then met with [[AT&T Corporation|AT&T]] in November 1967 in order to choose the number.<ref name="NENA" />

In 1968, the number was agreed upon. AT&T chose the number ''911'', which was simple, easy to remember, dialed quickly (999, with the [[rotary dial]] phones in place at the time, would take longer), and because of the middle 1, which indicated a special number (see also {{nowrap|[[4-1-1]]}} and {{nowrap|[[6-1-1]]}}), worked well with the phone systems at the time.<ref name="NENA" /> At the time, this announcement only affected the [[Bell System]] telephone companies; independent phone companies were not included in the emergency telephone plan. Alabama Telephone Company decided to implement it ahead of AT&T, choosing [[Haleyville, Alabama]], as the location.<ref name="Dispatch">{{Cite magazine |last=Allen |first=Gary |title=History of 911 |url=https://www.countyofunion.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180009766&sec_id=180003667 |magazine=Dispatch Magazine |publisher=County of Union, South Carolina |access-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923121122/https://www.countyofunion.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180009766&sec_id=180003667 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

AT&T made its first implementation in [[Huntington, Indiana]] on March 1, 1968. However, the rollout of 911 service took many years. For example, although the [[Chicago|City of Chicago, Illinois]], had access to 911 service as early as 1976, the [[Illinois Commerce Commission]] did not authorize telephone service provider [[Illinois Bell]] to offer 911 to the Chicago suburbs until 1981.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 23, 1981|title=Illinois Bell to offer 911 system to suburbs|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1981/04/23/page/10|url-status=dead|access-date=November 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117231228/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1981/04/23/page/10/|archive-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref> Implementation was not immediate even then; by 1984, only eight Chicago suburbs in [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]] had 911 service.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thomas Powers|first=William Recktenwald|date=April 6, 1984|title=Suburbs scurrying to get quick-dial emergency systems|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/04/06/page/533/article/suburbs-scurrying-to-get-quick-dial-emergency-systems|url-status=dead|access-date=November 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117063357/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1984/04/06/page/533/article/suburbs-scurrying-to-get-quick-dial-emergency-systems|archive-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref> As late as 1989, at least 28 Chicago suburbs still lacked 911 service; some of those towns had previously elected to decline 911 service due to costs and—according to emergency response personnel—failure to recognize the benefits of the 911 system.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cekay|first=Thomas|date=April 2, 1989|title=911 service becomes No. 1 on suburb referendum list|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1989/04/02/page/33/article/911-service-becomes-no-1-on-suburb-referendum-list/index.html|url-status=dead|access-date=November 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024647/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1989/04/02/page/33/article/911-service-becomes-no-1-on-suburb-referendum-list/index.html|archive-date=November 17, 2015}}</ref> 

Regarding national U.S. coverage, by 1979, 26% of the U.S. population could dial the number. This increased to 50% by 1987 and 93% by 2000.<ref name="NENA"/> As of March 2022, 98.9% of the U.S. population has access.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nena.org/page/911Statistics |title=9-1-1 Statistics |publisher=[[National Emergency Number Association]] |language=en |access-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311013825/https://www.nena.org/page/911Statistics |url-status=live }}</ref>

Conversion to 911 in Canada began in 1972, and as of 2018 virtually all areas (except for some rural areas, such as [[Nunavut]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Community Directory&nbsp;– Fire/Emergency Numbers|url=http://publiclibraries.nu.ca/site/main/npls/fire-emergency|access-date=December 31, 2017|publisher=Government of Nunavut|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216152146/http://publiclibraries.nu.ca/site/main/npls/fire-emergency|archive-date=February 16, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>) are using 911. {{As of|2008|post=,}} each year Canadians make twelve million calls to 911.<ref>{{cite news |title=Canada's 9-1-1 emergency |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/canadas-9-1-1-emergency/article560927/?page=all |access-date=November 20, 2009 |work=[[The Globe and Mail]] |first=Grant |last=Robertson |date=December 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123102834/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/article728860.ece |archive-date=November 23, 2009 |url-status= live}}</ref> On November 4, 2019, the [[Northwest Territories]] launched the 911 service across the territory with the ability to receive service in the territory's 11 [[official language]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Sidney |title='Growing pains' expected when N.W.T.'s 911 service goes live on Monday |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-911-live-1.5340356 |publisher=CBC |access-date=August 22, 2021 |archive-date=August 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822213842/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-911-live-1.5340356 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 15, 2010, AT&T announced that the [[Tennessee|State of Tennessee]] had approved a service to support a [[Text-to-911]] trial statewide, where AT&T would be able to allow its users to send text messages to 911 PSAPs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-and-state-of-tennessee-to-launch-text-to-9-1-1-trial-168598246.html |title=AT&T and State of Tennessee to Launch Text to 9-1-1 Trial |publisher=PR Newswire |date=September 5, 2012 |access-date=February 17, 2013 |archive-date=September 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909232500/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-and-state-of-tennessee-to-launch-text-to-9-1-1-trial-168598246.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most [[British Overseas Territories]] in the [[Caribbean]] use the North American Numbering Plan; [[Anguilla]], Bermuda, the [[British Virgin Islands]], and the [[Cayman Islands]] use 911.

Mexico switched its emergency phone number from 066 to 911 in 2016 and 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2016/08/mexico-will-start-first-phase-of-emergency-911-in-october/ |title=Mexico will start first phase of emergency 911 in October |date=August 8, 2016 |work=The Yucatan Times |access-date=February 14, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=February 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215083701/http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2016/08/mexico-will-start-first-phase-of-emergency-911-in-october/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=July 24, 2017|title=Por primera vez México cuenta con datos sobre llamadas al 911|language=es-MX|work=La Razón|url=https://www.razon.com.mx/por-primera-vez-mexico-cuenta-con-datos-sobre-llamadas-al-911/|url-status=dead|access-date=February 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215024004/https://www.razon.com.mx/por-primera-vez-mexico-cuenta-con-datos-sobre-llamadas-al-911/|archive-date=February 15, 2018}}</ref>

==Enhanced 911==
{{Main|Enhanced 911}}
{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2018}}

[[Enhanced 911]] ({{nowrap|E-911}} or E911) automatically gives the [[dispatcher]] the caller's location, if available.<ref name="FCC.9-1-1"/> Enhanced 911 is available in most areas, including approximately 96&nbsp;percent of the U.S.

In all North American jurisdictions, special legislation permits emergency operators to obtain a 911 caller's telephone number and location information.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=38.52.505 |title=Washington State Legislature website |access-date=October 16, 2008 |archive-date=March 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308194913/http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=38.52.505 |url-status=live }}</ref> This information is gathered by mapping the calling phone number to an address in a database. This database function is known as Automatic Location Identification (ALI).<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Patent#6526125 (PatentStorm website) |url=http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6526125/description.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616021059/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6526125/description.html |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |access-date=October 16, 2008}}</ref> The database is generally maintained by the local telephone company, under a contract with the PSAP. Each telephone company has its standards for the formatting of the database. Most ALI databases have a companion database known as the MSAG, Master Street Address Guide. The MSAG describes address elements including the exact spellings of street names, and street number ranges.

To locate a [[mobile telephone]] geographically, there are two general approaches: some form of [[radiolocation]] from the [[cellular network]], or to use a [[Global Positioning System]] receiver built into the phone itself. Both approaches are described by the [[radio resource location services protocol]] (LCS protocol). Depending on the mobile phone hardware, one of two types of location information can be provided to the operator. The first is Wireless Phase One (WPH1), which is the tower location and the direction the call came from, and the second is Wireless Phase Two (WPH2), which provides an estimated GPS location.

In response to {{nowrap|E-911}} challenges inherent to IP phone systems, specialized technology has been developed to locate callers in the event of an emergency. Some of these new technologies allow the caller to be located down to the specific office on a particular floor of a building. These technologies support a wide range of organizations with IP telephony networks. These offerings are available for service providers offering hosted [[IP PBX]] and residential [[Voice over IP|Voice over Internet Protocol]] (VoIP) services. This increasingly important segment in IP phone technology includes {{nowrap|E-911}} call routing services and automated phone tracking appliances. Many of these services have been established according to FCC, CRTC, and NENA&nbsp;i2 standards, to help enterprises and service providers reduce liability concerns and meet {{nowrap|E-911}} regulations.<ref name="Emergency Gateway Datasheet">{{cite web |url=http://www1.911enable.com/documents/pdf/emergency_gateway_datasheet.pdf |title=Emergency Gateway Datasheet |publisher=911 Enable |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914042248/http://www1.911enable.com/documents/pdf/emergency_gateway_datasheet.pdf |archive-date=September 14, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:9-1-1 System.svg|thumb|900px|center|upright=3.5|The enhanced 911 System]]

==Computer-aided dispatch==
{{Main|Computer-aided dispatch}}
911 dispatchers use [[computer-aided dispatch]] (CAD) to record a log of EMS, police and fire services. It can either be used to send messages to the dispatched via a mobile data terminal (MDT) and/or used to store and retrieve data (i.e. radio logs, field interviews, client information, schedules, etc.). A dispatcher may announce the call details to field units over a two-way radio. Some systems communicate using a two-way radio system's selective calling features.

CAD systems may send text messages with call-for-service details to alphanumeric pagers or wireless telephony text services like [[SMS]].

==Funding==
In the United States and Canada, 911 is typically funded via monthly fees on telephone customers. [[Telephone company|Telephone companies]], including wireless carriers, may be entitled to apply for and receive reimbursements for costs of their compliance with laws requiring that their networks be compatible with 911. Fees depend on locality and may range from around 25¢ to $3.00 per month, per line.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.co.yellowstone.mt.gov/des/e911/911UserFees.pdf |title=Range of 911 User Fees |access-date=November 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130185342/http://www.co.yellowstone.mt.gov/des/e911/911UserFees.pdf |archive-date=January 30, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The average wireless 911 fee is around 72¢.

Monthly fees usually do not vary based on the customer's usage of the network, though some states do cap the number of lines subject to the fee for large multi-line businesses.

These fees defray the cost of providing the technical means for connecting callers to a 911 dispatch center; emergency services themselves are funded separately.

==Problems==
===Inactive telephones===
Some U.S. states required that all landline telephones connected to the network be able to reach 911, even if normal service has been disconnected (as for nonpayment).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Reports/FCC-State_Link/IAD/pntris99.pdf |title=TELEPHONE PENETRATION BY INCOME BY STATE |publisher=Fcc.gov |access-date=July 8, 2012 |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810224937/http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Reports/FCC-State_Link/IAD/pntris99.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the U.S., carriers are required to connect 911 calls from inactive mobile phones.<ref>{{cite web|title=Denton County (Ga.) 9-1-1 website|url=http://www.denco.org/jurisdictions.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020231449/http://www.denco.org/jurisdictions.html|archive-date=October 20, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2008}}</ref> Similar rules apply in Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/PSC/Pages/Calling-9-1-1.aspx|title=Calling 9-1-1 (City of Calgary website)|access-date=October 16, 2008|archive-date=April 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407192311/http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/PSC/Pages/Calling-9-1-1.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> However, dispatchers may not receive [[Enhanced 9-1-1#FCC Requirements|Phase II information]] for inactive lines, and may not be able to call back if an emergency call is disconnected.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660214358/Old-cell-phones-give-dispatchers-headache.html |work=Deseret News |title=Old cell phones give dispatchers headache |date=April 23, 2007 |access-date=January 11, 2012 |archive-date=December 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204062436/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660214358/Old-cell-phones-give-dispatchers-headache.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Cell phones===
About 70&nbsp;percent of 911 calls came from cell phones in 2014,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcc.gov/guides/wireless-911-services |title=9-1-1 Wireless Services |date=May 26, 2011 |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=April 1, 2015 |archive-date=October 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017072437/http://www.fcc.gov/guides/wireless-911-services |url-status=live }}</ref> and finding out where the calls came from required [[triangulation]]. A ''[[USA Today]]'' study showed that where information was compiled on the subject, many of the calls from cell phones did not include information allowing the caller to be located. Chances of getting as close as {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=off}} were higher in areas with more towers. But if a call was made from a large building, even that would not be enough to precisely locate the caller. New federal rules, which service providers helped with, require location information for 40&nbsp;percent of calls by 2017 and 80&nbsp;percent by 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boyle |first=John |title=Calling 9-1-1 on a cell? They won't know your address |work=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]] |date=February 24, 2015 |page=A1 }}</ref> In addition, if a cellphone is connected to a cell tower in a different jurisdiction, which can happen often in a border community, the 911 call will go to the wrong dispatch center. <ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-06-27|title=Important Info about Calling 911 from a Cell Phone!|url=https://www.montgomerytwp.org/eGov/apps/document/center.egov|website=Montgomery Township, PA|archive-date=June 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627213951/https://www.montgomerytwp.org/eGov/apps/document/center.egov|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2018|post=,}} 80&nbsp;percent of 911 calls in the United States were made on cell phones, but the ability to do so by text messaging was not required. [[Text-to-911]] was first used in [[Iowa]] in 2009. According to the FCC, only 1,600 of about 6,000 911 call centers had the ability, up from 650 in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.apnews.com/93b9cf8a789b4a5ea32105d7f2eb6aa7 |title=Why is it so hard to text 911? |last=Anderson |first=Mae |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=October 31, 2018 |access-date=December 4, 2018 |archive-date=December 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205003438/https://www.apnews.com/93b9cf8a789b4a5ea32105d7f2eb6aa7 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Certain cell phone operating systems allow users to access local emergency services by calling any country's version of 911.<ref name="CBS siri">{{cite news |last=Earl |first=Jennifer |date=March 22, 2017 |title=iPhone users warned about potentially dangerous "Siri 108" prank |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iphone-siri-108-warning-about-potentially-dangerous-prank/ |work=[[CBS News]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=October 23, 2019 |archive-date=October 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024020404/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iphone-siri-108-warning-about-potentially-dangerous-prank/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Internet telephony===
{{Main|Voice over IP}}

If 911 is dialed from a commercial VoIP service, depending on how the provider handles such calls, the call may not go anywhere at all, or it may go to a non-emergency number at the public safety answering point associated with the billing or service address of the caller.<ref>{{cite web |title=911VoIp FAQs |url=http://www.911voip.org/faqs.htm#1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050317131253/http://www.911voip.org/faqs.htm |archive-date=March 17, 2005 |access-date=November 3, 2008 }}</ref> Because a VoIP adapter can be plugged into any broadband internet connection, a caller could be hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home, yet if the call goes to an answering point at all, it would be the one associated with the caller's address and not the actual location of the call. It may never be possible to reliably and accurately identify the location of a VoIP user, even if a GPS receiver is installed in the VoIP adapter, since such phones are normally used indoors, and thus may be unable to get a signal.

In March 2005, commercial VoIP provider [[Vonage]] was sued by the [[Texas Attorney General]], who alleged that their website and other sales and service documentation did not make clear enough that Vonage's provision of 911 service was not done traditionally. In May 2005, the FCC issued an order requiring VoIP providers to offer 911 service to all their subscribers within 120 days of the order being published.<ref name="FCC.9-1-1" /> In Canada, the federal regulators have required [[Internet service providers]] (ISPs) to provide an equivalent service to the conventional PSAPs, but even these encounter problems with caller location, since their databases rely on company billing addresses.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES/2005/r050404.htm |title=CRTC Decision on 9-1-1 Emergency Services for VoIP Service Providers |publisher=[[Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission]] |date=April 4, 2005 |access-date=September 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406085412/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES/2005/r050404.htm |archive-date=April 6, 2009 }}</ref>

VoIP services operating in Canada are required to provide 911 emergency service.<ref>{{cite web |title=Telecom Decision CRTC 2005–21 |url=http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2005/dt2005-21.htm |date=April 4, 2005 |website=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=April 29, 2017 |archive-date=April 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410193827/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2005/dt2005-21.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2008, an 18-month-old boy in [[Calgary, Alberta]], died after a [[Toronto]] VoIP provider's 911 operator had an ambulance dispatched to the address of the family's previous abode in [[Mississauga, Ontario]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-toddler-dies-after-family-calls-911-on-internet-phone-1.694532 |title=Calgary Toddler Dies after Family Calls 9-1-1 on Internet Phone |publisher=[[CBC News]] |date=April 30, 2008 |access-date=September 13, 2009 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054836/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-toddler-dies-after-family-calls-911-on-internet-phone-1.694532 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Emergencies across jurisdictions===
When a caller dials 911, the call is routed to the local public safety answering point. However, if the caller is reporting an emergency in another jurisdiction, the dispatchers may or may not know how to contact the proper authorities. The publicly posted phone numbers for most police departments in the U.S. are non-emergency numbers that often specifically instruct callers to dial 911 in case of emergency, which does not resolve the issue for callers outside of the jurisdiction.

NENA has developed the North American 911 Resource Database which includes the National PSAP Registry. PSAPs can query this database to obtain emergency contact information of a PSAP in another county or state when it receives a call involving another jurisdiction. Online access to this database is provided at no charge for authorized local and state 911 authorities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nena.org/north-america-911-resource-database|title=NENA 9-1-1 Resource DB|access-date=November 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008105744/http://www.nena.org/north-america-911-resource-database|archive-date=October 8, 2009|url-status=dead }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Telecommunication|Telephones|Law|Medicine}}
* [[3-1-1]], non-emergency number
* [[4-1-1]]
* [[9-1-1 Tapping Protocol]]
* [[N11 code]]
* ''[[Dial 1119]]'', a 1950 MGM feature film that portrays "1119" as a police emergency number
* [[eCall]]
* [[Emergency medical dispatcher]]
* [[Emergency telephone]]
* [[Emergency telephone number]]
* [[Enhanced 9-1-1]]
* [[Friendly caller program]]
* [[In Case of Emergency]]
* [[Next Generation 9-1-1]]
* [[Reverse 9-1-1]]
* [[Text-to-9-1-1]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

* T. I. Dayharsh, T. J. Yung, D. K. Hunter and S. C. Ivy, "Update on the national emergency number 911," ''IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology,'' vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 292-297, Nov. 1979, doi: 10.1109/T-VT.1979.23804.

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|911}}
*[https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/911/ 9-1-1 Services], Web site of 9-1-1 Services in Canada.
*[https://www.911.gov/ 911.gov], Web site of the 911 Program in the United States.

{{Federal Communications Commission}}
{{EMSworld}}
{{N11 codes}}
{{Emergency telephone numbers}}

[[Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1968]]
[[Category:Emergency telephone numbers]]
[[Category:Federal Communications Commission]]
[[Category:Three-digit telephone numbers]]
[[Category:Telephone numbers in the United States]]