Think about it. In this case a scheduled power outage, but some are
unplanned.

The smoke alarms start beeping, there are three small children in the house,
and not a single line-powered phone to dial 9-1-1.

Hot pipe with no thermostatic fan switch was outgassing. Kids were fine,
treated mom for hyperventilation.

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone in
the dark.

George wrote:
Think about it. In this case a scheduled power outage, but some are
unplanned.

The smoke alarms start beeping, there are three small children in the house,
and not a single line-powered phone to dial 9-1-1.

Hot pipe with no thermostatic fan switch was outgassing. Kids were fine,
treated mom for hyperventilation.

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone in
the dark.

What does it matter? In the case of a real fire, why would someone
stay in the house to dial 911 anyway?

George wrote:
Think about it. In this case a scheduled power outage, but some are
unplanned.

The smoke alarms start beeping, there are three small children in the house,
and not a single line-powered phone to dial 9-1-1.

Hot pipe with no thermostatic fan switch was outgassing. Kids were fine,
treated mom for hyperventilation.

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone in
the dark.

What does it matter? In the case of a real fire, why would someone
stay in the house to dial 911 anyway?

What does it matter? In the case of a real fire, why would someone
stay in the house to dial 911 anyway?


Maybe you would want to call 911 if you were on one end of the house
and the fire was on the other, or you were upstairs and the fire was
downstair and you were trapped. Or maybe you would be calling on your
way out, or calling from your portable phone from the yard after all
were safe. Not too many would be so stoic as to not use all possible
avenues to save their home. Desperation to save your stuff, I guess.

Besides, no one said there was a fire. The post said "power outage"
which can come from a million different sources. Just ask the people
on the SW coast that have been flooded and hurricaned to death.

Robert

"Larry Bud" wrote in message
ups.com...

George wrote:
Think about it. In this case a scheduled power outage, but some are
unplanned.

The smoke alarms start beeping, there are three small children in the
house,
and not a single line-powered phone to dial 9-1-1.

Hot pipe with no thermostatic fan switch was outgassing. Kids were fine,
treated mom for hyperventilation.

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone
in
the dark.

What does it matter? In the case of a real fire, why would someone
stay in the house to dial 911 anyway?


It matters if it's a medical emergency, or, as in this case, the nearest
place is 3/4 of a mile away through knee-deep snow.

I meant to encourage others to evaluate their situation.

This is SO true, I never realized it until we had a power failure. Even
though it was a PF due to traffic accident, I was not able to call out of
the house. Damn technology!, THat was years ago when the phone were 900
MGHZ, Now we have a 5.8 mghz BUT there is a direct line phone up in the
master bedroom. Anything could happen Medical, fire, police, you need to be
prepared for whatever may occur to protect your loved ones and your house.
Yes, now we all have cell phone but what if the battery was dead ?

Searcher

There will always be those who live for surprises (and by surprises as
well).
A few years ago I was talking to a buddy who only had cordless phones
in the house and his battery was sinking fast as we spoke. The next
weekend, I found one of my old corded warriors that had been replaced
and donated it to the cause.
Trying to find corded phones in the discount stores is a challenge.
Cordless with and without answering machines are in the majority.

Wed, Jan 11, 2006, 9:37am George@least (George) who is lost in the dark:
snip Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have
a line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell
phone in the dark.

Huh. I wouldn't have anything BUT a land line phone. However, I
do also have a wireless hooked in, that my sister gave me several years
ago. I sometimes grab that when I go to the hopper, if I'm expecting a
call. Don' got no steenkin' cell phone.

But, what I DO have is, one battery flashlight I can find in pitch
dark. AND, one hand crank flashlight (no batteries to go dead) I can
find in pitch dark. PLUS, candles, AND matches, in two separate
locations, that I can find in pitch dark. I also have a super-nine I
can find in pitch dark. I AM considering getting a cell phone, to carry
driving, just-in-case the truck has problems on the road - but it ain't
a high priority.



JOAT
You'll never get anywhere if you believe what you "hear".
What do you "know"?
- Granny Weatherwax

Was clued in by a local police lieutenant that the county 911 system will
automatically display map locations of the caller to emergency personnel
(fire, police, ambulance) for calls from a line-powered phone but not from a
cell phone.

David Merrill

"George" George@least wrote in message
...
Think about it. In this case a scheduled power outage, but some are
unplanned.

The smoke alarms start beeping, there are three small children in the
house,
and not a single line-powered phone to dial 9-1-1.

Hot pipe with no thermostatic fan switch was outgassing. Kids were fine,
treated mom for hyperventilation.

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone
in
the dark.

I just joined this thread late, but I wanted to make you all aware and WARN
you about these new "internet telephones" that Time Warner and Vonage are
pushing with their flat rate North America calling plans. Not only do you
need house power to make these phones run, but your high speed cable network
also needs to be working properly or your phone won't work. To add to this,
several of these "internet" telephone networks have been put into service
with no 911 call handling capability, or if they do handle the 911 call, the
operator who answers the call has no idea where the call is coming from so
they can't send you help if you aren't in condition to tell them where you
are. Before you switch to one of these, make certain that a 911 call will
work correctly over it and it will be routed to your local 911 operator. A
911 operator half way across the country from you won't be of much help to
you.

On the plus side, I have several friends who have installed internet
telephone services and my conversations with them over these connections
have been exceptionally clear and trouble free.
--
Charley


"IBM5081" wrote in message
oups.com...
There will always be those who live for surprises (and by surprises as
well).
A few years ago I was talking to a buddy who only had cordless phones
in the house and his battery was sinking fast as we spoke. The next
weekend, I found one of my old corded warriors that had been replaced
and donated it to the cause.
Trying to find corded phones in the discount stores is a challenge.
Cordless with and without answering machines are in the majority.

With the technology of GPS enabled cell phones, 911 services can pinpoint
your location, as long as your GPS in activated in your phone. Which, by the
way could have been used to rescue an infant but Sprint refused to activate
the phone that was in the stolen vehicle with the child. The child was
recovered unharmed BUT if Sprint would have activated the phone it would
have been sooner. However the outcome could have been much worse. My cell is
GPS enabled and is activated, I spend a great deal of time in the outdoors
and if an emergency were to arise, lets say I could dial but a cougar had me
by the throat and I couldn't talk. at least that way someone would still
find my body! Technology is good but it does have its downfalls. A hardwired
land line is a good choice.

Searcher

"David Merrill" wrote in message
news:bscxf.690781$x96.540601@attbi_s72...
Was clued in by a local police lieutenant that the county 911 system will
automatically display map locations of the caller to emergency personnel
(fire, police, ambulance) for calls from a line-powered phone but not from
a
cell phone.

Not sure how out-of-date the dispatch agency is, but as indicated, the new
GPS types display a set of crosshairs on the console, which is as good as
ALI (automatic location information) provided by the phone company.
Especially in this age of transferable numbers.

Even the old analog phones come with information - the tower which handled
the call. Not much, but they're on their way out.

Someone else mentioned generator power at the cell site. A lot have it for
the radio, but still trunk the call on a landline vulnerable to
interruption. Doesn't mean much.

The George entity posted thusly:

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone in
the dark.

Good point. Perhaps it's because I write firmware/software for
telephone accessories that I have been aware of this for many years. I
use a Nortstar key system for most calling, but that line-powered
phone is always hooked up to the line, and situated where I can easily
find it in full darkness.

Just an fyi...Vonage has a 911 producure that you have to follow when you
sign up.
It basically registeres your number w/ your address so the the 911 operator
will know where to route the emergency response.


"Charley" wrote in message
...
I just joined this thread late, but I wanted to make you all aware and WARN
you about these new "internet telephones" that Time Warner and Vonage are
pushing with their flat rate North America calling plans. Not only do you
need house power to make these phones run, but your high speed cable
network
also needs to be working properly or your phone won't work. To add to
this,
several of these "internet" telephone networks have been put into service
with no 911 call handling capability, or if they do handle the 911 call,
the
operator who answers the call has no idea where the call is coming from so
they can't send you help if you aren't in condition to tell them where you
are. Before you switch to one of these, make certain that a 911 call will
work correctly over it and it will be routed to your local 911 operator. A
911 operator half way across the country from you won't be of much help to
you.

On the plus side, I have several friends who have installed internet
telephone services and my conversations with them over these connections
have been exceptionally clear and trouble free.
--
Charley


"IBM5081" wrote in message
oups.com...
There will always be those who live for surprises (and by surprises as
well).
A few years ago I was talking to a buddy who only had cordless phones
in the house and his battery was sinking fast as we spoke. The next
weekend, I found one of my old corded warriors that had been replaced
and donated it to the cause.
Trying to find corded phones in the discount stores is a challenge.
Cordless with and without answering machines are in the majority.

On Wed, 11 Jan 2006 06:41:18 -0800, Larry Bud wrote:


What does it matter? In the case of a real fire, why would someone stay
in the house to dial 911 anyway?

Troll or moron. Choose wisely.

I was working late at night when a hand slit the screen window in my home
office and reached in looking for the latch.

My kids were in one bedroom and my wife in the other. You bet your bippy I
dialed 911 ... then reached for my baseball bat to wait for the guy
to stick his head through the window.

Bill

George wrote:
Think about it. In this case a scheduled power outage, but some are
unplanned.

The smoke alarms start beeping, there are three small children in the house,
and not a single line-powered phone to dial 9-1-1.

Hot pipe with no thermostatic fan switch was outgassing. Kids were fine,
treated mom for hyperventilation.

Have to wonder how many of us are so gadgeted that we don't have a
line-powered phone, though. Good thing she finally found her cell phone in
the dark.



We have land lines (one is cordless, the others line powered) and a cell
phone. The big fires here in SoCal a couple years ago, burned most of
the cell towers and a lot of phone/power lines. We were evacuated for
about ten days and returned as soon as we were allowed (no damage
hallelujah). The land line gave us a dial tone and the gas water heater
gave us hot water for Maggy's bath. :-) The cable system was down
since the building housing it burned to the ground, but the satellite
was there (once I got the generator up and running). There is one gas
station in a nearby town that runs continuously on generation power once
Edison goes into the toilet. Hence all is well here in paradise.
mahalo,
jo4hn

"jo4hn" wrote in message

Hence all is well here in paradise.

Two things make me more nervous about the future than all other factors
combined - electricity and water.

Technology has allowed man to live more than one day away from a natural
water source, and to type about that fact ... something unheard of in most
of human history.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

Swingman wrote:

"jo4hn" wrote in message


Hence all is well here in paradise.


Two things make me more nervous about the future than all other factors
combined - electricity and water.

Technology has allowed man to live more than one day away from a natural
water source, and to type about that fact ... something unheard of in most
of human history.

Ayup, and I live about 100 feet from a lake...
sigh,
jo4hn

"Charley" wrote in
:

I just joined this thread late, but I wanted to make you all aware and
WARN you about these new "internet telephones" that Time Warner and
Vonage are pushing with their flat rate North America calling plans.
Not only do you need house power to make these phones run, but your
high speed cable network also needs to be working properly or your
phone won't work. To add to this, several of these "internet"
telephone networks have been put into service with no 911 call
handling capability, or if they do handle the 911 call, the operator
who answers the call has no idea where the call is coming from so they
can't send you help if you aren't in condition to tell them where you
are. Before you switch to one of these, make certain that a 911 call
will work correctly over it and it will be routed to your local 911
operator. A 911 operator half way across the country from you won't be
of much help to you.

From what I've read on a couple news sites, the FCC intends to make 911
access a non-issue for VoIP phones. You can be pretty certain by the end
of the decade 911 calls will be handled properly.

One more thought: A database of local emergency numbers for 911
operators could make getting help from halfway across the country
possible. They look up the local number of whoever's needed and pass on
your location information. (I think that's how AAA handles their
roadside assistance calls.)

Puckdropper
--
www.uncreativelabs.net

Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we
still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a
particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind
ourselves of what we once had.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

"Charley" wrote in message
...
I just joined this thread late, but I wanted to make you all aware and
WARN
you about these new "internet telephones" that Time Warner and Vonage are
pushing with their flat rate North America calling plans. Not only do you
need house power to make these phones run, but your high speed cable
network
also needs to be working properly or your phone won't work. To add to
this,
several of these "internet" telephone networks have been put into service
with no 911 call handling capability, or if they do handle the 911 call,
the
operator who answers the call has no idea where the call is coming from so
they can't send you help if you aren't in condition to tell them where you
are. Before you switch to one of these, make certain that a 911 call will
work correctly over it and it will be routed to your local 911 operator. A
911 operator half way across the country from you won't be of much help to
you.

On the plus side, I have several friends who have installed internet
telephone services and my conversations with them over these connections
have been exceptionally clear and trouble free.
--
Charley

I am using Sunrocket IP-based phone service and a major requirement (and why
I had not gone with Vonage earlier) was acceptable 911 service. With
Sunrocket, when you dial 911, your call goes to the PSAP (Public Safety
Access Point), which is the same place it goes for service from your
favorite ILEC or CLEC. I had previously had my phone service through
Comcast, so I figured if the cable was down, my phone was down anyway, so no
real difference there.

todd

In article , W Canaday
wrote:

I was working late at night when a hand slit the screen window in my home
office and reached in looking for the latch.

My kids were in one bedroom and my wife in the other. You bet your bippy I
dialed 911 ... then reached for my baseball bat to wait for the guy
to stick his head through the window.

A better solution is to dial 911 while filling your hand with 1911.

Kevin

On 1/11/2006 10:28 PM todd mumbled something about the following:
"Charley" wrote in message
...
I just joined this thread late, but I wanted to make you all aware and
WARN
you about these new "internet telephones" that Time Warner and Vonage are
pushing with their flat rate North America calling plans. Not only do you
need house power to make these phones run, but your high speed cable
network
also needs to be working properly or your phone won't work. To add to
this,
several of these "internet" telephone networks have been put into service
with no 911 call handling capability, or if they do handle the 911 call,
the
operator who answers the call has no idea where the call is coming from so
they can't send you help if you aren't in condition to tell them where you
are. Before you switch to one of these, make certain that a 911 call will
work correctly over it and it will be routed to your local 911 operator. A
911 operator half way across the country from you won't be of much help to
you.

On the plus side, I have several friends who have installed internet
telephone services and my conversations with them over these connections
have been exceptionally clear and trouble free.
--
Charley

I am using Sunrocket IP-based phone service and a major requirement (and why
I had not gone with Vonage earlier) was acceptable 911 service. With
Sunrocket, when you dial 911, your call goes to the PSAP (Public Safety
Access Point), which is the same place it goes for service from your
favorite ILEC or CLEC. I had previously had my phone service through
Comcast, so I figured if the cable was down, my phone was down anyway, so no
real difference there.

todd



Another SunRocket user here. I am extremely happy with the service.
Considerably less cost than my old copper line that I only used for my
TiVo, and now the whole family uses it for almost all their calls (we
all have cell phones as well, but the wife and daughters all eat up
their minutes).

For us to be without a cell phone in this house is not very likely. 4
cell phones with working plans, and 5 old cell phones we keep around for
those times when someone's battery dies in the middle of a call, so we
have 9 cell phones that we can dial 911 from.

--
Odinn