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Why E911
Saving lives, limiting property damage, and containing a crisis situation all depend
on the speed and accuracy of 9-1-1 dispatching and emergency response teams.
1. Protect employees, vendors, visitors and assets
A fire, act of violence or employee accident can have a devastating impact emotionally
and financially on an organization. Beyond the direct expense of loss of life and
property in a crisis, operations are often significantly disrupted. According to
a survey by the Liberty Mutual Group, about two-thirds of employers report a threefold
savings for every dollar invested in safety.
2. Crisis liability
More than two million people suffer from on-the-job violence annually, which costs
employers $36 billion. Court decisions have held institutions and managers personally
liable for safety negligence. A jury recently awarded $50 million to the family
of a wrongful death victim because the city did not get an ambulance to the asthma
sufferer's home on time. A study by Liability Consultants found the average jury
verdict for a rape on business property to be $1.2 million and for a workplace death
to be $2.2 million.
3. It's the law
Many states have adopted enhanced 911 legislation. In Illinois, for example, non-compliant
businesses could face fines of up to $5,000. In Minnesota, OSHA can levy fines against
businesses for negligence of workplace safety measures. Most states are considering
regulations with encouragement from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Industry groups, led by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials
(APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), are lobbying legislators
for more strict regulations for E911 protection.
4. Corporate imperative
Owners and managers are now being held to a higher standard of care concerning the
safety of their employees, tenants and guests. According to an executive at a Fortune
500 company: "You enter the situation thinking about compliance and liability…but
then you come out of the situation with a good feeling that you will have helped
save a life or head off a tragedy."
APCO is among the groups leading the fight for mandatory nationwide adoption of
E911 systems. Following are real-life situations collected by APCO, underscoring
the need for businesses to have a system that provides location-specific information
from a 911 caller:
- Phoenix: A woman had a heart attack and collapsed at an American Express office.
Co-workers tried to call 911 for help, but the company's phone system blocked such
calls because the company wanted employees to call an in-house emergency number
instead. Emergency help was delayed. A lawsuit followed.
- San Francisco: A gunman entered a high-rise, killed eight people and wounded six
on three floors before encountering police and killing himself. The disgruntled
employee started shooting people he encountered on the 34th floor and continued
to two other floors. Due to a shared telephone system, dispatchers thought the incident
was in the building next door. Many of the initial 911 calls were hang-ups because
the caller had been shot or was hiding. Some callers were too hysterical to identify
their location. Police finally searched floor-by-floor of the correct building to
locate the shooter.
- St. Paul: An incident at a private college prompted campus authorities to install
an E911 software solution because a student was threatening suicide and they were
unable to locate the individual based on his phone number. To find the student,
police had to search the dorms room-by-room until they found the student. Fortunately,
the student did not commit suicide.
- Clay County: While visiting a county building, a woman was suddenly gripped by
a seizure, rendering her speechless. A by-stander called 911, and when questioned
by the dispatcher to validate the address of the distressed, realized that the dispatch
center was receiving a different building address. Had the caller been speechless
like the victim, tragedy would likely have ensued. Immediately following the incident,
the county began to evaluate 911 solutions.
"We live in a fine community where people don't think bad things will happen. They
may be right, but I don't want to find out the hard way that they were wrong. The
safety net is there."
-Director of Technology
(We) recommend local, state and federal agencies implement appropriate processes,
procedures and services to forward the precise location of a telephone serviced
by a multi-line system to the PSAP whenever 911 or another appropriate emergency
number is dialed.
- APCO resolution, August 2001
"A non-complying employer who knowingly fails to follow the requirements of the
law runs the risk of being found negligent in a civil suit and having no insurance
coverage in such a lawsuit."
- Macbride, Baker & Coles
"Security now is a strategic issue rather than a tactical issue. Woe is the CEO
who hasn't taken the measures to protect the company."
- Riptech
"In an emergency situation, response time is only as good as the information you
have."
- City of Chicago
"If we can't find the person that is in trouble, then that person is really in trouble."
- Sen. Conrad Burns (D-Montana)
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