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It's good to see positive press about GPS. This is from the Lawrence, KS news release a couple days ago:
(LAWRENCE, Ks) Last month, a ten year old granddaughter used a cell phone to call for help. Using the enhanced 911 system, the ability for dispatch to locate cell phone callers, emergency crews were able to respond and treat an unconscious grandmother.
Kennedy Fasching, from Lenexa, was visiting her grandmothers new house for the third time. Kennedys grandma, a diabetic, lost consciousness leaving Kennedy to call for help from a cell phone. Dispatchers with Douglas County Emergency Communications Center sent crews out advising that the enhanced 911 system was being used. Crews were heading to the area and a second trace on the cell phone was completed before the crews were in the neighborhood. The second trace returned the exact house address.
This is a real world example of the importance of 911 for cell phones, said Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical Chief Mark Bradford. Technology and the use of that technology by Douglas County resulted in positive outcome for this family.
In May 2005, Douglas County became enhanced 911 compliant with cellular telephone companies that were providing the location information. When a wireless cell phone call is received in the 911 center it comes in with just the callback number and the location of the cell phone tower. Emergency Communications Center personnel request the address and phone number information and the trace returns the cellular phone company name and the location by latitude and longitude and the telephone number of the caller.
Enhanced 911 went on line in Douglas County in 1993 for landline telephones, providing automatic telephone number identification and automatic address location identification. In 1969 Douglas County, had basic 911 where callers dialed 9-1-1 and had to provide all of the necessary information before emergency crews could respond.
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