Can 9-1-1 always find you? System failed in some local emergenciesHowever, the system did not work for Charles Romine, 71, of Dayton.
"I need a rescue. I've been on these rock for like, three hours," said Romine in his call to 9-1-1 last September.
When Romine gave them the wrong location, police and paramedics could not find him. Two days later, his body was discovered in Wolf Creek. His grandson said the 9-1-1 emergency system failed his family.
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"We're still hurting. It's hard to look at pictures," said Darshawn Romine, the victim's grandson. "9-1-1 should be able to find you. We're dealing with the police."
A Dayton Police Department review said initially, that GPS location data was available. Since it can be inaccurate, officials said the Regional Dispatch Center went with directions from the caller. Chief Deputy Rob Streck declined to comment on the Romine case, but he said the technology is still not advanced enough to find the location of everyone who calls 9-1-1.
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"Their phone could be showing up in a ten-block radius or it could be showing up pinpointing the building that you're standing in and right now it's kind of a coin toss which one's coming up," Streck said.
There was another recent problem involving a car crash in Greene County.
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"Both drivers were trapped and seconds matter," said Jeff Leaming, Sugarcreek Township Fire Chief.
The victims survived their injuries but the emergency response was delayed because the caller gave them the wrong location.
"Most of us think if we dial 9-1-1 we don't need to say a word and someone will come and help me and that's not the case," Leaming said.
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The death of a Cincinnati teenager trapped in his family's van has attracted national attention. Kyle Plush became trapped in the third row folding seat of the van on April 10 in the parking lot at his school. He couldn't breathe but managed to call 9-1-1. His body was found not by police, but hours later by his father.
So, what can you do to make sure you and your family is safe in an emergency? Gayle Jenkins operates D-N-A Computers in Kettering. She said if something like this were to happen, and you have an iPhone, you can send an emergency S-O-S.
"It will automatically send text messages to contacts that you set to receive those messages with pre-programmed message and your location," said Jenkins.
I decided to put this emergency S-O-S to the test. In my iPhone, I clicked on settings, then emergency S-O-S and entered my photographer's name in my list of emergency contacts. I hit the auto call button and it called 9-1-1 for me. It also sent a message to my photographer's phone telling him that I had a medical emergency and gave him my location.
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"It's really specific," Jenkins said. "It can get us within five feet of where we are right now."
Please do not test the emergency S-O-S on your own. We know it works and 9-1-1 is for real emergencies only.