9-1-1 Tip: Don’t Let Kids Play With Your Old (Or New) Cell Phone
- The KaneComm 9-1-1 Tip of the Month offers tips that can save your life. Remember that 9-1-1 is for emergencies, potential emergencies or when an emergency is about to happen, such as when you need the police, fire department or an ambulance right away.
We asked 9-1-1 telecommunicators in Kane County to let us know the top tips to keep residents safe. Here’s the third in the series.
Tip of the Month
Your old cell phone can still dial 911! If you’re going to let your child play, please remove the battery.
Explanation
Thanks to the Federal Communications Commission, network providers must transmit an emergency 911 call regardless if the phone has provider service or not. The phone may show no service, but as long as it has battery power and can find a signal, it can connect to 911. Every 911 call is a priority call, and when children play with an unactivated phone, telecommunicators must determine if the call is accidental or an actual emergency. This can interfere with other serious emergency calls.
If you’d like to read more, check out these Tips and Tricks for Using Cell Phones in Emergencies.
About KaneComm
Kane County Emergency Communications (KaneComm) is a multi-jurisdictional dispatch center responsible for the deployment of several police, fire, and medical agencies located within Kane County. KaneComm personnel are tasked with all of the incoming emergency and non-emergency calls for assistance from citizens residing in these jurisdictions. Subscribers to KaneComm include the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, police departments from Wayne, Gilberts, Hampshire, Maple Park, Pingree Grove, Campton Hills, Fox Valley Park District, Kane County Forest Preserve District and South Elgin, and the fire districts of Burlington, Hampshire, Maple Park, Pingree Grove, Fox River, Big Rock and Kaneville. For more information, visit the KaneComm web page.
Other 9-1-1 Agencies in Kane County
- TRI COM CENTRAL, dispatches for:
- St. Charles Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Geneva Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Batavia Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Elburn Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Sugar Grove Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Waubonsee Cadets
- North Aurora Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- AURORA CENTRAL dispatches for:
- Aurora Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- North Aurora Police
- QUAD COM, dispatches for:
- Carpentersville Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- West Dundee Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- East Dundee Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Sleepy Hollow Police
- South Barrington Police
- Rutland Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- Barrington Hills Police
- ELGIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, dispatches for:
- Elgin Police/Fire/Emergency Medical Services
- South Elgin Fire/Emergency Medical Services
