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Comment on Colorado: to test the 911 service, you must first place a normal call to the 911 center. WTF, they don’t think you might be unable to do that?

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debanqued@beehaw.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

First, it’s wrong to assume everyone has multiple phones.

But if we can get past that, are you also assuming that the test phone has a phone number? Suppose you call the test center with a friend’s phone. The conversation goes like this:

me: I will make a test call from a different phone than the one I am calling from.
911 center: Okay, what is the phone number of the phone you are testing (so we know which inbound call to disregard)?
me: The test phone is not subscribed. There is no number.

Of course if a GSM phone has no chip, it also has no number assignment. If the test phone is a VOIP phone, the subscriber may not have a DID. There could be a phony internal number assignment in that case, but the customer does not necessarily know it.

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jbloggs777@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
It’s really not that complicated.

They will answer the 911 call, you say this is just a test to ensure the functionality, thank them and then hang up.

Worst case you get some person who complains about the test call, and you calmly explain that you called their non-emergency number beforehand to ensure that it would be OK, thank them, and then hang up.

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- debanqued@beehaw.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
  That’s a dicey hack. There are typically fines for placing illegit 911 calls because they get enough false calls to have in place a system that automatically charges whatever the fine is. Was $50 for the 1st offense decades ago IIRC… likely higher now.
  
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  - dfyx@lemmy.helios42.de ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    You’re constructing an argument that’s so specific, you’re basically begging to be the victim.
    
    If you a) have a device that can’t make regular calls b) have no way to contact a non-emergency number through a different device to ask for advice and c) absolutely need to test this right now, then you’re about one in a million. Just make that call, answer the “what’s your emergency?” question with “No emergency right now, I need to test that my device that can’t make regular calls will work in a real emergency. Sorry, I couldn’t reach your non-emergency number.” and it will be fine.
    
    It’s only an illegit 911 call if you call them for fun or if you test so often it can no longer be considered necessary.
    
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    debanqued@beehaw.org ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago
    
    and it will be fine.
    
    Citation needed that there will be no fine to pay.
    
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Rivalarrival@lemmy.today ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

911 center: Okay, what is the phone number of the phone you are testing (so we know which inbound call to disregard)?

Your argument stems primarily from that point.

The purpose of contacting them is not to identify what phone number will be making the call. The purpose of contacting them is to ensure they are not currently in the middle of a mass casualty incident that you don’t know about.

They don’t care what number you will be making the call from. They care that they have the time and resources available to take it. If your test call is successful, you will tell them that it was a test call.

As for your argument about not having a phone to make the initial call, it’s 2026, not 1926. You have a phone, it’s in your hands right now, and you’re using it to read this.

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