Updated: Tuesday, 20 Sep 2011, 6:52 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 20 Sep 2011, 12:29 PM CDT
Jacqueline Ingles

SPICEWOOD, Texas (KXAN) - Lt. Steve Rudkin with the Pedernales Fire Department spends part of his work day updating the department's Facebook page .

During the recent 6,400-acre wildfire , it proved an efficient tool to disseminate information on where evacuees could go, where the fire was spreading and locations where donations are being accepted for fire victims.

"It really reached the masses," said Rudkin, who created the page and share updating responsibilities with EMT Mary Christopher.

Cell phones actually proved troublesome during the fire. That's because the 911 system was created when landlines ruled, and long before cell phones arrived on the scene.

Because wireless phones are mobile, they are not tied to a fixed address or physical location like a landline.

"In spotty coverage areas, you could be calling in that you see fire from Spicewood and get routed to Burnet," Rudkin said.

This only delays help getting to you.

At a press conference amid the fire, Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber urged residents to register their cell numbers with CAPCOG .

"People who have a cell phone that would like reverse 911 calling in case of emergency should go to capcog.org ," said Huber. "This is very, very important."

The Federal Communications Commission agrees and estimated that about 70 percent of 911 calls are placed from wireless phones.

The FCC even adopted rules that require wireless service providers to transmit all 911 calls to a public safety answering point or emergency dispatch center, regardless of whether the caller subscribes to the provider’s service or not.

Some cell phone carriers do automatically offer customers they have under contract 911 reverse calling. But, you must be under contract. Still, service providers may not be able to accurately and immediately offer dispatchers your location. The FCC requires that the provider relay your location based on cell towers within six minutes of the 911 call being placed.

"This is why people need to register with CAPCOG, to make sure they have a location linked to their cell phone," Rudkin added.

Rudkin said Facebook helped the department overcome some of this communication issue. They went from having roughly 100 friends to more than 1,100. Many cell phone users, however, may not be at home when calling 911.

That has the FCC offering the following tips:

Tips for 911 Calling

Consumers making a 911 call from a wireless phone should remember the following:

*Tell the emergency operator the location of the emergency right away.
*Provide the emergency operator with your wireless phone number, so if the call gets disconnected, the emergency operator can call you back.
*Dispatchers currently lack the technical capability to receive texts, photos and videos.
*If your wireless phone is not “initialized” (meaning you do not have a contract for service with a wireless service provider), and your emergency call gets disconnected, you must call the emergency operator back because the operator does not have your telephone number and cannot contact you.
*To help public safety personnel allocate emergency resources, learn and use the designated number in your state for highway accidents or other non life-threatening incidents. States often reserve specific numbers for these types of incidents.
*Refrain from programming your phone to automatically dial 911 when one button, such as the “9” key, is pressed. Unintentional wireless 911 calls, which often occur when auto-dial keys are inadvertently pressed, cause problems for emergency call centers.
*If your wireless phone came pre-programmed with the auto-dial 911 feature already turned on, turn this feature off.
*Consult your user manual for instructions.
*Lock your keypad when you’re not using your wireless phone. This action prevents accidental calls to 911.
*Consider creating a contact in your wireless phone’s memory with the name “ICE” (in Case of Emergency), which lists the phone numbers of people you want to have notified in an emergency.

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