Enhanced 911 program

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Photo: 911 Logo on Emergency Vehicle The E-911 Program Office administers the regional emergency 9-1-1 telephone system in King County. The system covers the entire county, including all incorporated cities and unincorporated areas. There are 13 different 9-1-1 centers in the system that answer 9-1-1 calls. The 9-1-1 calls from the wireline telephones are selectively routed to the correct 9-1-1 center based on the address of the caller. 9-1-1 calls are first routed to the police 9-1-1 center, and then may be transferred to a different fire/emergency medical 9-1-1 center if these services are needed. In addition, the telephone's subscriber and address information are displayed on the call taker's screen at the 9-1-1 center. In situations where the caller is unable to give their location, like when the caller is a child or a very ill person, emergency personnel can still respond to the caller's location using this information.

Many 9-1-1 calls are made from wireless phones. Approximately 1.8 million 9-1-1 calls are answered in King County each year. Of theses calls, 803,000 (about 46 percent) are made from wireless phones. King County has worked with all the wireless carriers who offer service here to implement Phase I and Phase II Enhanced 9-1-1 service for wireless 9-1-1 callers. This service provides the telephone number of the wireless phone, and the location of the cell site that processed the 9-1-1 call. In addition, technology has been implemented to determine the location of the 9-1-1 caller, and to display the location on a map at the 9-1-1 center. Some wireless carriers have implemented a network solution, where special equipment has been added to their network to determine the location of the caller. In this case, all wireless phones accessing that carrier's network will be located. Other carriers have implemented a system that uses GPS chips in the wireless phones to determine location. In this case, wireless phone users will not be located unless they have purchased a new wireless phone that is equipped with the GPS chip for 9-1-1. Wireless phone users should contact their wireless carrier to determine which system their carrier uses.

Contact information:

		Web	www.metrokc.gov/prepare/E911/
		Call	206-296-3910 (TTY 711)
		Fax	206-296-3909
		Address	King County Office of Emergency Management
			E-911 Program Office
			Seattle, Washington
			Program Manager: Marlys Davis
			E-911 Program Assistant: Milla Zinski
			PSAP Network Administrator: Jim Bowman
			PSAP Mapping Administrator: Khalid Khan
			PSAP Mapping Analyst: Evelyn Torres
			Administrator I: Liza Zamudio
			Office hours: 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

For emergencies call 9-1-1. For non-emergencies call your local police or fire department.