When an emergency occurs, it is crucial to respond quickly and implement the plan that has been drilled and exercised! The first priority in emergency response should be to ensure the safety and protection of people and the environment. Depending on the type and scale of the incident, emergency services may need to be called to respond to spills, fires or medical emergencies at the site.
Some Trivia Questions (answers are below):
- Where and when was the first universal emergency telephone number established?
- When was 911 established as the national emergency number in the United States?
Emergency Services Phone Numbers
The site’s Health and Safety Plan (HASP) or applicable Emergency Response Plan (ERP) must include information about how emergency services should be contacted. One of the most common ways is to call 911 (in the US and Canada) but, refer to your plan for applicable emergency numbers to call.
When emergency services phone numbers were first established, the calls came from wireline phones and had effective ways to quickly identify the location where the emergency phone call was coming from. This enabled emergency services to be dispatched quickly and effectively when the call was made. With the rapid increase in the use of mobile phones along with the use of the internet for phone calls (VoIP), the process of identifying the location of emergency callers has become more challenging. In the US, it is estimated that 70% of 911 calls are placed from wireless phones. The Federal Communications Commission has developed a Guide for 911 Wireless Services that includes information about the challenges posed by wireless phones, along with useful tips for calling 911.
Other Notification Phone Numbers
In addition to emergency services numbers, there are additional notification phone calls that may also need to be made when it is safe to do so. These may include regulatory agency notifications, internal company notifications, notifications to Client personnel, spill response contractors, property owners, other public officials, etc. People change and phone numbers can change, so it is important to periodically review the plans to ensure that the information is current.
Can you hear me now?
Finally, all of the important phone numbers are useless if there isn’t a way to call the phone numbers. If your site uses wireline phones, you may not have any problems making emergency phone calls. However, you should also consider having a back-up plan in case an emergency impacts your ability to make phone calls from the wireline phone.
If you are relying on mobile phones to make emergency calls, make sure that the site has adequate signal strength to successfully make the calls. In some locations, signal strength may vary greatly depending on the service provider. At remote sites, there may be a need for signal boosters, satellite phones or radios to ensure effective communication can occur. The time to verify that phone calls can be made is during plan development and drills, not when an emergency occurs.
Trivia Answers:
- The first emergency services number was established in London. The 999 service was launched on 30 June 1937.
- The 911 number started in 1968 but it took about 30 years for it to be available for 95% of the country. The first 911 call was placed in Haleyville, Alabama.