Assemblymembers Freddie Rodriguez and Das Williams introduced AB 510 to improve the location accuracy of 9-1-1 calls made from cellular phones. This bill would help to eliminate costly delays in receiving emergency medical care that can happen when a 9-1-1 call is placed from a cell phone.
“When someone calls 9-1-1, every second counts,” said Rodriguez. “It is alarming that, in an age where cell phones are so prevalent in our society, our 9-1-1 systems are not able to pinpoint a callers location. We need to fix our systems so no more lives are lost to senseless delays.”
Each year, Californians place approximately 25 million 9-1-1 calls; two-thirds of which are made from wireless devices. In California, most wireless 9-1-1 calls are answered by the California Highway Patrol and then rerouted to local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). Lack of accurate location information can prevent wireless 9-1-1 calls from being transferred to the correct answering point and can make it difficult for operators to determine where to send help. In 2013, the California Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association found that more than half of all California’s wireless 9-1-1 calls were being delivered to PSAPs without location information.
“People die if 9-1-1 calls are not accurately located. This has been the result in my district too many times,” said Assemblymember Williams (D-Santa Barbara). “This simple fact and the need to preserve life and public safety is the driving force behind introducing AB 510.”
In 2014, a 24 year-old woman was found unconscious on the floor of her family home in Santa Barbara. A family member called 9-1-1 from a cell phone, however, the call was routed to Ventura, instead of Santa Barbara causing a 20-minute delay in the arrival of medical care. The woman later died at a local hospital.
“These are exactly the kind of tragedies we are trying to prevent,” said Rodriguez. “As Chair of the Select Committee on Local Emergency Preparedness, I intend to hold a hearing on this issue and find out exactly what we need to do to make sure help can get where it is needed no matter what type of phone is used.”