Transportation officials call for national commitment to wireless E9-1-1 system - Management and Administration

Public Roads, May-June, 2002

At a national E9-1-1 summit on April 8, 2002, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, Transportation Chief of Staff John Flaherty, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Jeffrey W. Runge, MD, called on public safety officials, the telecommunications industry, and communities across the country to accelerate implementation of wireless-enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) services.

The need to locate people quickly and precisely when they make 9-1-1 calls on cellular phones prompted the summit in Arlington, VA. In an emergency--whether it's due to injury or to another urgent situation--a timely response can affect the final outcome.

Once completed, the E9-1-1 system will enable public safety call centers to pinpoint the locations of callers making emergency contact from cellular telephones. Call centers already can locate 98 percent of caller locations from contact made via residential landline phones. Presently, 25 percent of all 9-1-1 calls are placed from wireless phones, with 40 percent of the calls not covered by enhanced 9-1-1.

Participants in the summit included elected officials and representatives from the wireless industry, State and local governments, public safety call centers, emergency medical services, police and fire departments, and the transportation industry.

Implementing a wireless E9-1-1 system that identifies caller locations is complex because of new technology requirements and process changes necessary for handling and responding to emergency calls. DOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program is coordinating the E9-1-1 implementation. The ITS program saves lives, time, and money by combining advanced communications and transportation technologies with surface transportation management and operations systems.

For more information, visit DOT's ITS website at www.its.dot.gov.