Commitment

May 29, 2008 in Just for Fun | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just saw this interesting report that drives home the need for E911 fees on cell phones. New federal figured indicate that nearly 3 in 10 households don't have a landline compared to 1 in 10 a year ago. I am flabbergasted that there are some states that still don't charge E911 fees on cell phones in the face of shrinking revenue due to the reduction in the number of land lines.

But it also reiterates that traditional Reverse 9-1-1-type mass emergency notification used to send alerts to landlines is an exercise in futility. New technology that can send notifications to cell phones and other communication devices is needed.

May 16, 2008 in E911 Systems | Permalink | Comments (1)

Why We Love Children

Got this cute email today with some cute kid stories...thought I was share the smile with others.

POLICE # 1: While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, 'Are you a cop? Yes,' I answered and continued writing the report. My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot toward me, would you please tie my shoe?'

POLICE # 2: It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'

May 13, 2008 in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0)

VoIP 9-1-1 Tragedy

It is always tragic to see a story like this where a family called 9-1-1 from their VoIP phone and were routed to a PSAP 2,500 miles away. No one realized the mistake and the child ended up dying. How many more children have to die before we find a solution to this problem?

Toddler dies after problems with VoIP 911 call

Calgary officials not sure what went wrong with Internet-based phone

The Calgary Herald

Published: Thursday, May 01, 2008

CALGARY - A Calgary toddler may have died Tuesday night because the city's emergency officials were slow in receiving a call for help.

The initial 911 call was made using Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP), which digitizes voice conversations and routes them over the Internet.

That call wasn't properly received by 911, said Stuart Brideaux with Calgary's Emergency Medical Services.

A connection between the delay and the toddler's death must be investigated, Mr. Brideaux said.

EMS Chief Tom Sampson said once EMS received a call from the family's neighbour, an ambulance was immediately dispatched and arrived at the home within six minutes.

The toddler was not breathing and unresponsive when paramedics arrived and he was taken to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The family, which uses an Internet-based phone, reportedly called 911 about 40 minutes earlier.

The manager of public safety communications said when people call 911 using Voice-over-Internet-Protocol phones, their call is first directed to a call centre that is then supposed to transfer it to the 911 dispatcher.

"We have no record of that happening last night," Curtis Brochu said.

He added the family believed they were talking to the 911 dispatch centre in Calgary.

The EMS chief praised the parents for their efforts to get emergency help. "They did, in our opinion, everything right in order to get assistance," he said.

City officials have not yet contacted the VoIP provider to determine what went wrong.

May 08, 2008 in VoIP | Permalink | Comments (0)

9-1-1? This is Jim's Heart Calling....

Imagine you have a heart attack. A very tragic, life threatening event. You are home alone at the time and can't make it to the phone to call 9-1-1. No matter, your heart can do it for you. Some day in the future,using Bluetooth technology, a little communications regulator device implanted in your chest could connect to your phone and call 9-1-1 directly and give the dispatcher a recorded message.

Impossible? Ridiculous you say?

Here is an interesting story showing that this is a distinct possibility...

So as everyone is trying to pass new state legislation for uniform E9-1-1 fees - make sure it applies to "all devices that can access 9-1-1". Think beyond voice...

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3883082.ece

New wi-fi devices warn doctors of heart attacks

May 7, 2008
Adam Sherwin, Media Correspondent

The Bluetooth wireless technology that allows people to use a hands-free earpiece while making a mobile telephone call could soon alert the emergency services when someone has a heart attack, Ofcom predicts.

The communications regulator said that sensors could be implanted into people at risk of heart attack or diabetic collapse that would allow doctors to monitor them remotely.

If the “in-body network” recorded that the person had suddenly collapsed, it would send an alert, via a nearby base station at their home, to a surgery or hospital.

However, Ofcom also gave warning in its report, Tomorrow’s Wireless World, that the impact of such technology on personal privacy would require more debate.

The technology, which is being tested now in Portsmouth, could also be used if a patient failed to take his or her medicines. A pill dispenser would send an automatic reminder and, if the pills were not taken within a certain time, an alarm would sound and a message would be sent to the patient’s family or carers.

However, health experts say that they are sceptical about the level of take-up of “in-body” sensors while research into the possible radiation impact of wi-fi networks is going on.

The Ofcom report also said that advances in GPS positioning and short-range wireless technologies could “revolutionise the way we conduct our journeys and safety levels on the roads”. Intelligent transport systems being developed by car manufacturers allowed cars to communicate with each other and send alerts about sudden braking. If a collision happened the car’s system could automatically call the emergency services. The technology could also apply the brakes automatically if it was determined that two cars were getting too close to each other.

Paramedics attending the scene of an accident would carry a small computer that would pick up wireless messages from a bracelet incorporated in the driver’s watch. These would enable them to gain access to information about his or her medical history.

The European Commission is discussing whether to allow the “e-Call” automatic emergency call-out, which could be on the market by 2011. A recent trial suggested that the technology could cut ten minutes off the time for the emergency services to reach the scene of an accident and a 15 per cent reduction in fatalities.

Ofcom said that drivers could be helped by further advances in sat-nav technology. Signals would alert drivers to congestion ahead and then calculate whether their proposed journey would be quicker by train.

Wireless communication technology could also enable food items to carry microchips containing information on their contents. This would allow, for example, nut allergy sufferers to be alerted if they inadvertently picked up an item containing nuts.

Ofcom concluded that wireless communication was now “integral to our lives”. It said that the Government must decide how to prepare for future demands on the radio frequencies, or spectrums, that wireless services use. Wireless congestion, with wi-fi users “piggybacking” on other people’s connections, must not result in interference in potentially life-saving communications, it added.

Peter Ingram, Ofcom’s chief technology officer, said: “This report demonstrates the many creative ways that the radio spectrum can be used for the benefit of citizens. But other bodies will have to decide whether the transfer of personal data, which these advances involve in the medical sphere, is appropriate for the benefits.”

Why Bluetooth?

Named after King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark and Norway, who unified warring tribes in the 3rd century. Bluetooth was likewise intended to unify different technologies.

May 08, 2008 in New Technology | Permalink | Comments (0)

9-1-1 Industry Alliance

InterAct is proud to announce its membership in the 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA). Here is some news coverage on a recent report published by the 9IA on the state of the nation's 9-1-1 system and the need to overhaul the system.