Tools

Emergency Dispatch Struggling to Locate Callers in High Country

by KREX News Room
by Meaghan Wallace

Story Created: Jan 22, 2013 at 2:14 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jan 22, 2013 at 2:15 PM MDT

DENVER - There's a growing problem for rescuers in Colorado's high country. According to our sister station KCNC, people in need of help are calling 911 and have no idea where they are.

"People still think that when you call 911 on a cell phone that we're going to know exactly where you are, and it's just not that accurate," said Bill Pessemier, Director of Summit County Communications.

It's a significant problem that can cost lifesaving minutes. The summit county communications center says that about 25 percent of callers phoning their location don't know where they are.

"The dispatchers are really good at using a process of elimination to narrow it down to where the caller is located," said Pessemier. "They'll eventually get a location or an address and they'll do that as quickly as they can."

Four our of every five calls come from a cell phone, but GPS coordinates that come in to the dispatch center aren't always accurate.

This isn't just a problem in the tourist communities, it's a problem everywhere, so if you head out on vacation, it's a good tip to try and know where you are.

You have indicated this comment should be removed.

Close

The comment has been submitted for review. Thank you .

Question? said on Tuesday, Jan 22 at 4:12 PM

Why is it society's responsibility to rescue people who leave the confines of the city?

Just Say-In said on Tuesday, Jan 22 at 2:32 PM

When you venture out how about being provisionally prepared and one item to carry in addition to your beloved cell phone might be an actual GPS unit? What a concept. And learn how to use it!!!

Anonymous said on Tuesday, Jan 22 at 2:30 PM

Sprint will give you coordinates to within feet of your location, Verizon does a radius of up to 9 miles (18 mile diameter) and usually its a tower on the first pinging but narrows it down each one there after and AT&T your lucky if they will even get coordinates that make sense. But remember the ACLU is trying to stop this tool in the Supreme Court as they allege its a violation of your privacy right.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KREX - News, Weather, Sports for Grand Junction | Montrose | Glenwood Springs - Coverage You Can Count On and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

Most Popular
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
News Channel 5 Weather