Background
During emergencies - local, state, and
national - the importance of our country's communications system,
including telecommunications, broadcast, cable, and satellite
systems, becomes clear. We use our phones to call 911 or to call
our family members to make sure they are safe. We turn on our
televisions and radios to get information updates.
While there is no doubt that our country has
one of the world's most extensive and dependable communications
systems, unusual conditions can put a strain on it.
The following information will help you
better understand what happens with our communications system
during an emergency and how best to use the various components of
our communications system during a crisis or disaster.
Emergency Communications Components
There are three main components to
emergency communications:
1. 911 telephone call processing and
delivery through Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) and
call dispatch;
2. The Emergency Alert System; and
3. Radio and/or broadcast or cable
television station news and updates.
All of these components must operate
effectively in order to achieve a successful response to an
emergency. |
911 Calls
Emergency personnel and others often learn
about emergencies through 911 calls. 911 is the official national
emergency number in the United States and Canada. Dialing 911
quickly connects you to a PSAP dispatcher trained to route your
call to local emergency medical, fire, and law enforcement
agencies.
The 911 network is a vital part of our
nation's emergency response and disaster preparedness system. This
network is constantly being upgraded to provide emergency help
more quickly and effectively. For example, most traditional
wireline 911 systems now automatically report to the PSAP the
telephone number and location of calls, a capability called
"Enhanced 911" or "E911." By receiving the
telephone number of the caller, the PSAP is able to call back in
the event the call gets disconnected. The PSAP is also able to
determine the location of the caller by cross-referencing the
telephone number against a location database. Traditional wireline
E911 is available in most parts of the country.
Public Safety Answering Point and Call Dispatch
The emergency dispatcher uses location
information to direct public safety personnel responding to the
emergency to ensure the shortest possible emergency response time.
At the PSAP, the operator verifies the
caller's location, determines the nature of the emergency, and
decides which emergency response teams should be notified.
Sometimes, a single primary PSAP will answer for an entire region.
In most cases, the caller is then transferred to a secondary PSAP
from which help will be sent.
Secondary PSAPs are sometimes located at fire
dispatch offices, municipal police headquarters, or ambulance
dispatch centers. Communities that don't have PSAPs rely on public
safety emergency operators and communications centers to process
emergency calls.
Once the call is processed, the PSAP operator
or dispatch center alerts the appropriate emergency response team.
During emergencies, radio systems frequently are used by emergency
units and officers at the scene to coordinate activities among all
emergency personnel - fire, rescue, police, dispatchers, etc. -
with the emergency units on their way and with dispatchers at
command bases.
Wireless and E911
While new telecommunications technologies can
be important tools for public safety, they sometimes create
special challenges for public safety personnel. For example, the
mobility of wireless telephone service makes determining a
wireless user's location more complicated than is true for
traditional wireline services, which are associated with a fixed
location or address.
In an effort to increase the ability of
emergency personnel to respond to wireless 911 calls, the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted rules requiring
wireless telephone carriers to provide Enhanced 911 (E911).
Wireless carriers have begun to deploy
technologies to meet the FCC's E911 rules. When fully implemented,
wireless E911 will provide PSAPs with information about the
location of consumers dialing 911 from mobile phones. However,
since wireless E911 will not be available everywhere immediately,
it is important for consumers to follow a few basic steps when
calling 911 from their mobile phones:
-
Tell the emergency operator the location
of the emergency right away.
-
Give the emergency operator your wireless
phone number so that if the call gets disconnected, the
operator can call you back.
-
If your wireless phone is not
"initialized" (i.e., you do not have a contract for
service with a wireless service provider) and your emergency
call gets disconnected, you must call the emergency operator
back because he or she does not automatically receive your
telephone number and therefore cannot contact you.
VoIP and E911
The FCC also has imposed E911 obligations on
providers of "interconnected" Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) services. Interconnected VoIP service allows you
to make and receive calls to and from traditional wireline phone
numbers using any high-speed (broadband) Internet connection
(i.e., DSL, Cable Modem). VoIP can be used in place of traditional
phone service. Typically, interconnected VoIP technology works by
either placing an adapter between a traditional phone and a
broadband connection, or by using a special VoIP phone that
connects directly to your computer or Internet connection. While
you may choose to use interconnected VoIP service from a single
location, like a residence, interconnected VoIP services can be
used wherever you travel as long as a broadband Internet
connection is available.
By the end of 2005, all interconnected VoIP
providers must automatically provide E911 services to all
customers as a standard, mandatory feature without customers
having to specifically request this service. VoIP providers may
not allow their customers to "opt-out" of E911 service.
Before interconnected VoIP service providers
can activate a new customer's service, providers must obtain from
the customer the physical location at which the service will first
be used so that emergency services personnel will be able to
locate callers who dial 911. Interconnected VoIP providers must
also provide one or more easy ways for all customers to update the
physical location they have registered with the provider, if it
changes.
VoIP/911 Tips
If you have or are thinking of
subscribing to a VoIP service, here are some important tips
and questions to ask:
-
Is your VoIP an
"interconnected" service that is subject to
the FCC rules? Make sure you have a clear understanding
of any limitations of your 911 service;
-
Inform children, babysitters, and
visitors about your interconnected VoIP service and its
911 limitations, if any;
-
If your VoIP provider supplies you
with warning stickers, place them on and/or near the
equipment used in conjunction with the interconnected
VoIP service;
-
When you dial 911, be sure to tell
the emergency operator where you are and what your phone
number is right away so they can find you and call you
back if you are disconnected. (Some emergency service
providers are not capable of receiving or processing the
location information or call-back number that
interconnected VoIP providers must be capable of
providing.);
-
Be familiar with your
interconnected VoIP service provider's procedures for
updating your address, and promptly update address
information in the event of a change; and,
-
If the power is out or your
broadband connection is down, be aware that your
interconnected VoIP service may also be out. Consider
installing a backup power supply, maintaining a
traditional phone line, or having a wireless phone as a
backup.
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Using TTYs to Dial 911
TTYs also called text telephones have a
typewriter keyboard and allow persons to type their telephone
conversations via two-way text. At present, traditional wireline
phones and analog wireless phones can transmit 911 calls to
PSAPs from callers using TTYs. The FCC encourages TTY users to
call 911 directly for immediate service. If TTY users choose to
contact a PSAP via Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS), TRS
centers need to then forward the TTY caller's phone number to the
PSAP, delaying transmission of this information to the PSAP.
Wireless service providers have made
technological changes to their networks to provide TTY
compatibility for digital wireless calls for consumers with select
TTY-compatible hand-sets. However, in certain locations TTY users
may not be able to complete 911 calls successfully to 911
emergency call centers using these newly available digital
wireless services. The FCC is encouraging public safety
organizations, vendors of TTY equipment for 911 call centers, TTY
vendors, and wireless service providers to work together both to
better identify the extent of these difficulties and to develop
solutions. In the meantime, TTY users should consider alternatives
for placing an emergency 911 call, such as landline phone service,
analog wireless service, or TRS.
Network Damage and Black-outs
If the telecommunications network is damaged
in a disaster, your traditional wireline, wireless, or VoIP phone
and text pager may not work. If only your electricity goes out (a
"black-out"), your traditional telephone may still work.
In a black-out, you still may be able to use your traditional
wireline phone because electricity and telephone transmissions
travel on different wires. If you keep the battery on your
wireless phone and text pager fully charged, you should be able to
use these, too, in a black-out. Unless you have a backup power
supply, your VoIP phone will not work if your broadband connection
is down or in a black-out.
Text pagers have a built-in radio
transmitter/ receiver. Messages are transmitted over the wireless
network, a nationwide network of radio towers that transmit data.
Some text pagers can subscribe to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service for
any weather alerts.
Why E-mail May Work When Phone Lines Don't
During a Natural Disaster or State of Emergency
When a telephone call is completed on the
public telephone network, transmission circuits are assigned and
dedicated between the two users for the length of the call. The
telephone network is engineered so that during normal usage there
are adequate facilities that can be assigned and dedicated to
handle the number of calls during the peak period.
However, if during a disaster or emergency
the number of calls exceeds that peak (or if the network
transmission capacity is reduced), then some calls will be
blocked. And, of course, if the phone being called is already in
use, the call will be blocked.
The Internet backbone uses shared rather than
dedicated transmission facilities so that even during heavy usage
the Internet will work, albeit perhaps more slowly. However, if
Internet traffic is heavy enough, VoIP phones may not work. Cable
modem and DSL users who have dedicated Internet access can
generally get through to their e-mail systems, although dial-up
Internet users may experience some blocking when they try to dial
their Internet Service Provider (ISP), either because the local
telephone system is congested or all ISP's lines are busy. E-mail
itself is an Internet application which has the additional
characteristic that the recipient doesn't have to be available at
the same time as the sender, and instead can connect to his or her
own mail system at his or her convenience to retrieve messages
that have been delivered there.
The Emergency Alert System Radio and Television
Updates
In the event of an emergency, many people
rely on local radio and/or television stations to receive updates
on what is happening and what to do.
There is a nationwide broadcast system in
place for national disaster or other large-scale disasters. The
Emergency Alert System (EAS) currently provides not only the
President, but national, state, and local authorities with the
ability to give emergency information to the general public via
broadcast, cable, and wireless cable systems.
All broadcast stations and cable systems
currently are required to broadcast emergency alerts and messages
for national security emergencies initiated by the President.
In October, 2005, the FCC expanded its rules
to require EAS participation by digital television (DTV)
broadcasters, digital cable television providers, digital
broadcast radio, Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS), and Direct
Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems. These rules are effective as of
December 31, 2006, except for DBS, whose effective date is May 31,
2007. The FCC continues to consider ways to enhance the EAS to
ensure that all Americans, including those with hearing and vision
disabilities and those who speak languages other than English,
receive EAS alerts.
EAS participants are not required to
broadcast EAS alerts and messages initiated by state and local
authorities, but the FCC encourages them to transmit emergency
alerts as a public service. Information about local natural
disasters is often broadcast via EAS.
All EAS alerts should be accessible by audio
and visual means, or simple visual means, including
closed-captioning, open-captioning, crawls or scrolls.
Exception: If your local
television/radio tower or studio is damaged during a natural
disaster like a tornado, you may not receive the signal.
EAS was designed, however, so that if one
link in the dissemination of alert information is broken, the
public has multiple alternate sources of warning.
Accessibility of Emergency Information
The FCC has separate requirements to meet the
needs of persons with disabilities in cases of local emergencies.
The FCC requires that any information that is intended to further
the protection of life, health, safety, or property, such as
immediate weather situations, civil disorder, evacuation orders,
school closings, relief assistance, etc., be accessible to persons
with disabilities. These rules apply to all local broadcasters,
cable operators, and satellite television service providers.
Critical details about the emergency must be provided in a visual
format, such as open captions, scrolls, or even hand-lettered
signs.
The critical details must also be provided in
an aural format. If crawls or scrolls are provided during regular
programming, an aural tone is required to indicate to persons who
are blind or who have low vision that emergency information is
being provided.
Other Emergency Organizations:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) is responsible for responding to national disasters
and for helping state and local governments and individuals
prepare for emergencies.
The Department of Homeland Security
is responsible for preventing terrorist attacks within the United
States, reducing America's vulnerability to terrorism, and is also
responsible for minimizing the damage and handling recovery
operations if attacks do occur.
The Homeland Security Advisory System
provides a way to distribute information regarding the risk of
terrorist acts to federal, state, and local authorities and to the
American people. The system provides warnings in the form of a set
of graduated "Threat Conditions" that increase as the
risk of the threat increases. State Civil Defense alerts the
public of any changes to the threat level through the news media.
In case of level red, the state sounds the emergency alert siren.
At each threat condition, federal departments and agencies
implement a corresponding set of "Protective Measures"
to further reduce vulnerability or increase response capability
during a period of heightened alert.
Threat Conditions:
-
Severe Condition (Red) - Severe
risk of terrorist attacks.
-
High Condition (Orange) - High
risk of terrorist attacks.
-
Elevated Condition (Yellow) -
Significant risk of terrorist attacks.
-
Guarded Condition (Blue) - General
risk of terrorist attacks.
-
Low Condition (Green) - Low risk
of terrorist attacks.
Tips
In the event of an emergency:
-
Always have a battery-operated
radio with fresh batteries on hand;
-
If you have cable, always have one
television set that can receive over-the-air signals so
that you can still receive a television signal if your
cable system goes out;
-
Always keep your cell phone battery
charged;
-
Assemble a first aid kit for your
home and for each vehicle; and,
-
To help public safety personnel
allocate emergency resources, you should learn and use
the designated number in your state for highway
accidents or other non-life-threatening incidents.
Often, states reserve specific numbers for these types
of incidents. For example, "#77" is the number
used for highway accidents in Virginia. The number to
call for non-life-threatening incidents in your state
can be found in the front of your phone book.
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For More Information
For information on communicating during
emergencies, please call the FCC's Consumer Center toll-free
at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322).
For information on other
telecommunications issues, please visit the Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau's Web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb.
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For additional information and/or advice on
communicating during emergencies or what to do during a national
or local emergency, visit FEMA's Website, www.fema.gov
or the Department of Homeland Security's website, www.dhs.gov/.
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