There are really two separate issues here -- bringing true 911 service to Jackson and Enhanced 911 services.
Bringing 911 service to Jackson
The Director of Emergency Preparedness, the Selectmen and the State have been working together to make the changes necessary to fully implement and improve 911 service in Jackson. Several basic problems need to be addressed.
First, street and road names in Jackson need to be distinctive. Similar names are confusing to dispatchers and first responders in an emergency. As a result, several street and road names in Jackson will need to be changed. Street names are shown in the Road Agent's section.
Second, a house number typically indicates not only a specific residence but also provides dispatchers and responders with geographic information about the location of the emergency. For example, house and lot numbers may reflect the distance of the property from the nearest street intersection in 50 feet increments. This necessitates renumbering of houses and lots or the introduction of numbers if none now exist.
Third, improved 911 service will require visible and easily identified street and house number signs.
Enhanced 911 Service
Enhanced 911 service refers to wireless or cell phone rules designed to improve the effectiveness and reliability of wireless 911 service by providing dispatchers with additional information on 911 emergency calls.
The wireless Enhanced 911 program is divided into two phases. Phase I requires carriers, upon request by a local Public Service Answering Point (the organization answering 911 calls), to report the telephone number of a wireless 911 caller and the location of the antenna (cell tower) that received the call.
Phase II requires wireless carriers to provide far more precise location information. Phase II requires wireless carriers to transmit specific latitude and longitude location information. This works for wireless phones equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) assisted location information system. Most new phones will be so equipped. Public Safety Answering Point equipment also needs to be upgraded to receive this additional GPS information. Implementation of Phase II began in October 2001 and planned completion is by the end of 2005.
The GPS facility applies only to wireless or cell phones, not to conventional or land-line phones.
Using 911
An emergency is when immediate police, fire department, or medical assistance is necessary to protect life or property.
If an emergency situation arises - a crime, a fire, a serious injury or illness - ask yourself whether police, fire department, or medical assistance is needed right now to protect life or property. If YES, then immediately call 911 and advise the 911 operator of what has happened or is happening.
Call 911 whenever you believe there is an emergency. If you are not sure it's a real emergency, call 911 and the 911 operator will make the final determination.
When the 911 emergency services system receives several 911 calls at the same time, these multiple 911 calls are handled on a priority basis. The most serious emergency will be handled first.
No money is needed to call 911 from a pay phone. If there is an emergency, you can just pick up a pay phone, wait for a dial tone, and call 911 without depositing a coin.
Remember, for wireless or cell phones, there is no guarantee that any cell phone will reach 911 even when there is available service. The cellular and 911 networks are a complex maze of providers, technologies and equipment. Ability to reach 911 is affected by many factors including the availability and capacity of cellular towers and service and the volume of cellular traffic at any given point in time.
If you have to make a 911 call
Do's of 911 Calls
When you call 911:
- Stay calm. Give your name, location and the nature of the emergency.
- It is especially important to tell the operator your location when calling 911 with a cell phone. The GPS technology is not available everywhere.
- Listen carefully to the 911 dispatcher.
- Answer the 911 operator's questions as accurately as possible. Speak clearly and slowly.
- Do exactly as the 911 dispatcher tells you.
- Never hang up on the 911 operator until you are told to do so. If you hang up and redial, your call will go to the end of the line of people waiting for service.
Don'ts of 911 Calls
Non-emergency situations:
- Do not call 911 for non-emergency situations. For non-emergency situations such as noisy neighbors or stolen hubcaps, use your police department's regular phone number, never call 911.
- Never tell a 911 dispatcher that a situation is more serious than it really is. It is against the law to intentionally and knowingly give false information to the police or emergency services. Abuse of 911 emergency services may delay someone else's access to emergency assistance.
- Do not call 911 to test your phone. Test calls burden an already overburdened system.
From Fire Dept to owners of automatic alarm systems
Hello, this is a message from the Jackson Fire Department to all home-owners who have automatic alarm systems with an alarm company. An example of this would be someone who contracts with "Pope Security" for an automatic fire alarm system.
If you have such a system, please make sure that the information the alarm company has on file for your residence matches your new/current address. This is especially important for those homeowners who have NEW street names as well as house numbers.
When an alarm is tripped, the alarm company calls 911 and ultimately gives the fire/police department an address. With the new changes to Jackson's street addresses, this information has been often incorrect. It has even caused delays with the fire department and the ambulance squad responding to calls. So, PLEASE check with your alarm company and make sure that information to be given out to 911 is correct.
And all homeowners/tenants, should make sure that their house number is either attached to the house AND visible from the road in both directions, OR it should be at the end of the driveway for the fire and police departments to see in an emergency. Numbers should be 4" high and reflective. If you do not know your house number, please check with the Jackson Town Office.
Thank you and please be safe in this winter heating season.
Jackson Fire Department
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