9-1-1 backup

“Ring, ring, why don't you give me a call?
Ring, ring, the happiest sound of them all”
- ABBA, lyrics to “Ring Ring”

With Cub Scouts, as with most Americans, when you ask them what number to call in an emergency, the answer is 9-1-1. But what if 9-1-1 didn’t work? Do you know the direct phone numbers for your local police, fire or ambulance?

Is this just a hypothetical scenario? Not for residents of Salt Lake City last month. On March 25, for about five hours, some of the 911 calls made by AT&T Wireless customers in the Salt Lake City area were routed to dispatchers in Seattle. The police of Salt Lake City “called AT&T and confirmed that it was occurring.”

Bottom Line

Take the time to add fire, police, ambulance, and poison control to your cell phone. Back this up with a paper list kept near every phone for your children to use. Don’t rely solely on 9-1-1.

http://sorc911.com/911guide.htm
http://www.gov.ky/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/CIGHOME/PRESSROOM/ARCHIVE/200301/KNOWNINE.PDF