IMPROVING 911 RESPONSE

摘要

The first 911 call was made in early 1968. For some perspective, note that President Lyndon Baines Johnson occupied the White House, the Concorde supersonic passenger jet had yet to make its first test flight, a gallon of gasoline cost 35 cents, and the Vietnam War was raging. Suffice it to say a lot has changed over the past half century to improve the way in which members of the community rally the enforcement cavalry to the scene of a calamity. Prior to 911 systems, panic-stricken people had to dial zero and ask the operator for police or fire. Or in some jurisdictions they had to dial a seven-digit local number-on a rotary phone while under extreme duress-in order to summon emergency assistance. Compounding matters was the fact that back then, getting a busy signal was always a strong possibility.