911 and advanced Security Technology

Cell phone use became widespread in the late 1990s. This enabled citizens to start utilizing this new technology to dial 911 to attain access to critical emergency services, in the same manner that they would utilize a landline telephone. However the only issue with this new method of communication is that the technology did not enable the first responders to pinpoint callers' exact locations with any sufficient precision. This was because wireless towers were obviously lacking a clear link to any specific geographic location and they proved to be more vulnerable to interference, bad reception and jamming than landlines.

In addition, emergency correspondence interfaces continued to operate on analog while the latest gadgets were digital, creating deeper technology isolations amongst the individuals making emergency phone calls and those responding to them. The natural consequence of that is that, cellular callers experienced drastically increased response time, which put many lives in dire and critical situations.

Emergency services providers realized that their current 911 infrastructure was not keeping pace with technology, as cell phones and other wireless devices continued to flood the marketplace. Regrettably, the violent Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, verified these intrinsic problems with the outdated emergency communications system, as the emergency workers had substantial difficulty communicating via wireless networks in NYC. The many troubles associated with the wireless technologies and the events of 9/11 were brought to the forefront of public knowledge.

Becoming Proactive

In reply to these concerns, the Federal Communication Commission mandated an assessment of the operational and technical issues of updating emergency communications through Enhanced 911 also referred to as (E911). The eventual consequence was an E911 obligation for carriers to covey the telephone number of a wireless 911 caller and the place of the antenna that captured the call signal. The majority of wireless devices must allow emergency responders to locate 911 dialers within 40 to 200 meters of their actual position, According to the new laws of the federal legislation.

As you might have guessed it, the legislations are still trying to catch up with the rapid advancement of technology until this day; also the technologies of communication have advanced even further in our current time which has allowed many individuals to place their emergency calls over many internet based applications. Both opportunities and challenges are presented to emergency personnel by the emergence of the Voice over Internet Protocol service also known as (VOIP). Although it has an immense potential to boost response capabilities, but faulty VoIP performances may cause yet another gap between first responders and individuals in dire situations.

VoIP implementations are becoming more widespread in the commercial market, especially in new or renovated buildings, analogous to the spread of cell phones in the consumer market. VoIP saves businesses time and money by circumventing the need for traditional phone networks in favor of high-speed Ethernet connections this is because this technology is primarily based on Internet networks. A wide range of features such as video conferencing and worker mobility is also offered by the VoIP technology. For instance, an administrator can dial and answer calls from any spot with an Internet connection via his related phone number.

On the other hand, due to the fact that VoIP is still a fairly new technology, 911 calls often are a late addition when considering VoIP execution. There is a supposition amongst buyers of VoIP systems that the capability is automated, just as it is when they operate a landline telephone. However, this could not be farther from the truth.

Clearing up Misconceptions

 
The suppositions and assumptions can be very costly in least cases and deadly in the worst cases. The users of the phone system will actually be unable to call 911 in an emergency if 911 capabilities are not built in. This will drive the dialers to use their cell phones, which still provide less accurate location information than a landline telephone or a VoIP communication device that is appropriately setup.

Regardless of if 911 capabilities is built in or not, central call processing (which is one of the keys to VoIP system efficiency) can get in the way of 911 communications if not operated appropriately. VoIP calls are processed at one location, (which is often the main office of an organization) when deployed in a multi-site setting. In order to understand the effect of  not having the dial plan configured correctly for 911 calls, you can imagine a situation where fire and rescue personnel can react to a fire at a company's main site, although a fire is at a satellite office miles away from them. They may also arrive at the correct location, but be thwarted by a system that tells them the 911 call came from the first floor, even though it really came from the sixth floor. This results in wasted resources, time, and perhaps lives of humans.

Let us not forget to point out that that federal law requires that all phone systems, including VoIP, have emergency dialing capability Apart from the fundamental welfare of building occupants. The vast majority of VoIP systems which are unable to dial 911 leave building managers and owners at risk of legal responsibility in the event of a crisis.

The implementers of VoIP must also not assume system users will know how to dial 911 on their new communication device. Instructions and training are indispensable elements of the whole project. For example if workers usually dial 9 to call outside the building, someone must teach them whether they need to dial 9, and then 911 to establish a connection with the emergency network. In an ideal world, the dial plan should be arranged to account for all various possibilities of 911 calls. Further more employees should be able to dial both 911 and 9, then 911 to eliminate the possibility of confusion.

In addition, dialing arrangements should also take misdials into consideration. As an example, generally speaking, the VoIP administrators will allow a delay of a couple of seconds after 911 is dialed, in order to make sure that the caller did intend to dial emergency services as an alternative to dialing an international phone number or any other number for that matter. Users should be able to reach emergency services through their VoIP system and will not be resigned to dialing 911 over their cell phones (which are definitely less precise) as long as they have the proper training to use their VoIP devices.

The VoIP system must be tested once it is configured properly. The majority of VoIP implementation specialists will test the VoIP phone lines comprehensively. Initially, they will alert the emergency call center about the examination. After that, they will establish contact with the 911 services, this more often than not occurs in the middle of the night, when call quantities are at their lowest, and verify the location of the data received by the call station.

The implementations of the VoIP technology will certainly become more common in the future although they are still not completely mainstream at the moment. This new VoIP technology should not suffer the same technology disconnects as cell phones and wireless networks, but only after increasing the awareness of the requirements and difficulties surrounding its operation. If truth be told, when put into operation appropriately, the VoIP system can supply first responders with more detailed data about the caller's location than ever in the past. A great feature of VoIP technology which is included in the dialer's IP address can tell first the emergency responders the specific location of the call, to the extent of locating the specific desk that the call was made from. This ability supplies first responders with superior pre-situational knowledge, assisting them in doing their jobs faster and more efficient. In addition, just like the traditional phone systems, the VoIP devices will remain reliable when wireless networks fail to operate properly.

One can easily judge from all the previous information how important technology has become in this day an age. The normal operations of any governmental institution have become intertwined with the ability to operate all types of technical and electronic devices. From computers tosecurity cameras, technology has and will be an inseparable part of our lives, those who refuse to cope with this fact will be only be making their lives harder than it should be. 

The technology of Voice over Internet Protocol service, VoIP, is the latest addition to the world of communication and even though it is a communication technology, it directly affects not only the security of an individual, but that of an entire nation. For instance, an average individual could be calling about an incident related to terrorism. If this call is not handled properly or disregarded, devastating results could take place similar to those of the 9/11 attacks. For this reason, every member of the community, let alone the government, should learn to live with and use the gifts of technology to benefit their country.

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