[Asterisk-Users] E911 Testing !

[Keith Burns]

Oh well... at least no one here thought E911 was 911 for IM or email
(yes... someone once asked me that)


> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-
> bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Joe Greco
> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 3:43 PM
> To: brett at worldcall.net
> Cc: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] E911 Testing !
> 
> > 911 Testing is a very complicated issue. For a clec it typically
> > involves scheduling with them so they will expect your call. Also we
> > frequently use false addresses (that are MSAG resolvable) and some
very
> > sophisticated PSAPs even have fake addresses that MSAG resolve to a
> > "testing" ESN. Translated in english:
> >
> > 1. I put in a "special address" mapped to a phone number into the
911
> > location database. This is in the ALI database. The primary source
of
> > data that the 911 centers map phone number to address.
> > 2. MSAG (The master street address guide) maps actual street
addresses
> > to "ESNs" an ESN is an "Emergency Service Number" (or something like
> > that, feel free to correct me). It is basically a specific
collection of
> > Police, Fire and EMS. For example, Your house might use Police "A",
Fire
> > "B" and EMS "B", but the people on the other side of the street
might
> > use Police "C", Fire "B", EMS "B" (maybe it's jurisdictionally a
> > "different town"). The PSAPs make up a fake address like 1234
Network
> > Testing Blvd and they make it resolve to ESN 555 which will route to
a
> > testing center ("joe") who only recieves test calls.
> >
> > Ok.. so too much information.. right?
> 
> Definitely.  Unless you happen to be doing a CLEC's office, none of it
has
> any bearing on the original question.  :-)
> 
> > here's the short answer. Please don't call 911 unless you have an
> > emergency.
> 
> False.  Local policies vary widely.  Our 911 service here in Milwaukee
is
> the preferred method for reporting debris on the freeway to the
Sheriff's
> Department, for example - a dispatcher once scolded me for *not*
calling
> 911, though admittedly this was only a few years after a truck dropped
> some debris on I-94 that ultimately punctured the gas tank of a
minivan
> containing a large family and lots of people died, so people have been
> more sensitive to debris on the highway.
> 
> In fact, around here, it's fairly common for installers to test 911
> service, because there's a danger in 911 *not* working as advertised
> under ordinary conditions (someone forgot this or that, not too hard
> on a PRI).
> 
> > Find out who your local PSAP is and call the administative
> > number for it and talk to them. Sometimes it is hard to find this
> > number, but it's out there. Look for Emergency services in "ACME
town"
> > or "ACME Town 911 Dispatch" etc,etc. Some very small towns actually
have
> > their administrative lines forward to the 911 centers for those
areas.
> 
> Call the police department's non-emergency number and they can help
track
> down who to contact, if all else fails.
> 
> > Also be aware that if you are a carrier, you are required by law to
have
> > a signed contract with the 911 agency. This is typically so they can
> > collect on the federally mandated 911 end user line fees.
> 
> Most offices aren't phone carriers.  Even most offices for carriers
won't
> have an installer putting in phones that knows anything about some
contract
> locked up half a dozen states away in the Legal Department vault at
LEC
> Headquarters.  So that's not too useful to the guy who just wants to
verify
> correct operation of 911 services for an office install.
> 
> The short form:  *ASK* your local 911 center what they prefer you to
do.
> In general, they *want* 911 to work right, and there will be some way
to
> get you what you need.
> 
> ... JG
> --
> Joe Greco - sol.net Network Services - Milwaukee, WI -
http://www.sol.net
> "We call it the 'one bite at the apple' rule. Give me one chance [and]
then I
> won't contact you again." - Direct Marketing Ass'n position on e-mail
spam(CNN)
> With 24 million small businesses in the US alone, that's way too many
apples.
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