The first 911 call in the U.S. was made in 1968 in Haleyville, Alabama, by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite and answered by U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill. The second call was six days later and was from Nome Alaska! Since the 1960s, NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has supported public safety efforts to connect emergency services and communities. In the 1970s, AT&T spearheaded the sophistication of the 911 calling system to work in all 50 states.
Let’s Start With The Basics Kari’s Law went into effect on February 16, 2018, named after Kari Hunt Dunn. This law was championed by her family after she was killed (by her estranged husband) and her 9-year-old daughter was unable to reach 911 services because she didn’t know she had to press “9” for outside line access, then “911” for first response from the hotel room they were in. The law eliminated the prefix “9” so that emergency services are the only response to dialing “911” and notification to security/ reception on premise if this is a place of business (non-residential of 2018al).
Ray Baum’s Act (Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern) was created to amend the Communications Act of 1934. Ray Baum’s Act requires a dispatchable location available to PSAPs regardless of the technology platform used: street, building, floor, suite and room location.
The combination requires substantial infrastructure upgrades to legacy equipment or may mean brand new installations to obtain compliance. 911 was created with simple goals.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY TAMI WANKOFF IN THE 2022 SPRING EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.