DavyCrocket
Member
- Joined
- 27 Oct 2006
- Messages
- 619
My understanding is that if you use either the 999 or 112 emergency numbers, it is treated differently, as an emergency call, rather than it going through the normal switched network.
There is a system "Advanced Mobile Location" (aka Emergency Location Service (ELS)) - for both Apple and Android based mobiles - for them to automatically send your location to emergency services: this (I understand) came out of the mobile industry, and is mandated for new phones - but quite to what extent the emergency services are set up to utilise it I don't know.
I don't what 'location system' the emergency services use (internally) themselves: while I would expect them all to use the same one (the need for which is a lesson the military learnt in World War 1), I'm not sure this is the case.
But whatever it is, I would expect any emergency PSAP (Public safety answering point) - and Network Rail 'Public' Control number I would classify as one - to be able to accept and handle (i.e. have the tools to do, converting it to whatever they want) any widely (or not so widely) used system: starting with British (OS) National Grid, my Satnav gives me about a dozen options for location system/format, perhaps half of which will give valid, sensible locations within the UK (and there are others on my mobile or computer).
I have actually seen the data from an iPhone 999 call and the mapping generated and transposed to what three words was spot on. To a new build house with very few other details.
I’ve also had when mast data said a phone was in a town 15 miles away.
And finally, I have had to call NR emergency line before, for a call to someone on the tracks by a level crossing and on arrival, a very drunk person had tripped over the running rails likely distracted by the one on the track.
They were in the U.K., answered within a minute and must’ve had the internal mapping as was checking against another level crossing. There were some quite long pauses whilst presumably they spoke with national control and the local site (as traction current needed to be switched off)