Cell callers both help and hinder 911

An motorist with a cellular phone can be a real help to fire and police personnel, alerting them to wrecks on the highway and to dangerous drivers. But if the information motorists give in their calls is not accurate, it can make the job of responding to an emergency more difficult.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff-elect Greg Brown and Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Don Mouser, the biggest problem with emergency calls from cellular phones is that motorists often do not give an accurate location.

On Saturday, December 14, for example, Sisters fire crews and Deschutes County Deputies responded to a cellular phone report of a vehicle off the road about a mile east of Sisters. The emergency crews searched, but found no wreck. Finally they turned around and went in the other direction, finding the vehicle about a mile west of Sisters.

"(Callers) need to be real specific about the location," Brown said. If a motorist doesn't know what the nearest milepost is or is unfamiliar with the area, Brown said, he should tell 911 that when he makes his call, rather than giving a vague and possibly misleading location.

The vehicle involved in the December 14 incident turned out to have merely slid off the road and there were no injuries.

According to Chief Mouser, that points up another problem with cell phone reports -- motorists often don't stop at an accident site to determine if there are injuries.

Mouser and Brown agreed that callers should stop if they see an accident and report whether or not a vehicle is occupied and if there are injuries. This helps emergency personnel know what they are getting into before they hit the scene.

Brown said motorists don't have to stay on the scene of an accident, but if they actually witness a crash they should be available so that police officers can talk to them.

According to Brown, if a motorist sees a stranded vehicle, but there hasn't been an accident, a phone call and a location are sufficient, especially if the motorist feels uncomfortable stopping.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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