There has been a lot of press recently about a girl who tried to dial 911 from a hotel due to an emergency and could not get out. All PhoneSuite hotel/motel phone systems are designed with this capability in mind.
Whether the guest dials 9 first or not, a 911 call goes out. PhoneSuite systems are human-nature-aware and even our oldest platform knows that if a guest dials 9,911 or just 911, the call must go out – even if the room phone is “blocked” from making calls, a call to either 911 pattern (or to the front desk) always goes through.
911 calls centers follow protocols that guide callers through a sequence of questions to quickly obtain information necessary for dispatching the right responders to the right location. Call-takers may also provide instructions about what to do until help arrives
911 lines are designated for emergency calls, such as reporting a crime in progress, reporting a fire, or requesting an ambulance. Using 911 for non-emergency calls may delay help for people caught in real emergencies.
Calling connects you to the 911 call center closest to your home, based on the home address you enter in the Google Home app. This lets you quickly contact your local emergency services no matter where you are, even if you’re far away from home. may delay help for people caught in real emergencies.
The first known use of a national emergency telephone number began in the United Kingdom in 1937–1938 using the number 999, which continues to this day. In the United States, the first 911 call was made in Haleyville, Alabama in 1968 by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite and answered by U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill. In Canada, the 911 service was adopted in 1972, and the first 911 call occurred after the 1974 roll-out in London, Ontario.
In the United States, the push for the development of a nationwide American emergency telephone number came in 1957 when the National Association of Fire Chiefs recommended that a single number be used for reporting fires. The first city in North America to use a central emergency number was the Canadian city of Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1959, which instituted the change at the urging of Stephen Juba, mayor of Winnipeg at the time. Winnipeg initially used 999 as the emergency number but switched numbers when 9-1-1 was proposed by the United States.
When a guest dials 911 (or 9,911), the front desk console begins to flash an alarm and displays “911 dialed from room xxxx”. This does not stop until a staff member acknowledges and clears the alarm. Hotel policy will dictate whether or not staff should go to the room, or stay clear of the room until authorities arrive, but they will always know which room dialed the emergency number.
When a guest (or staff member) dials 911 and all phone lines are in use, PhoneSuite systems will drop a non-emergency call to give priority to the emergency call and ensure it goes out. The only type of call that will not be dropped in order to “steal” the phone line is another emergency call already in progress. For example, hotel wing is on fire, 10 guests call 911 at the same time.
If you have any additional questions about PhoneSuite hotel phone system safety features, please contact us.
