Montgomery County sent letters to the more than 300 administrators of large businesses in the county last week urging them to make sure their phone systems can provide 911 operators with an exact location in an emergency.
Business phone systems that route many calls through a single address, cell phones and the rise of Internet-based telephone services are giving emergency responders a headache and may have contributed to at least one death in Montgomery County.
Kaafee Billah, a sales representative at MedImmune Inc., called 911 around 9 a.m. April 18 complaining of chest pains. Fire and rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said MedImmune’s phone system registered as a single phone number and address on the county’s 911 system computers, even though the business campus has more than one building. Due to the confusion, the emergency medical team failed to find Billah and he died.
“When we’re able to talk to you, the most important bit of information is what’s your address and where are you calling from,” Piringer said.
In the MedImmune case, the caller apparently lost consciousness before he could get that information out, and the operator had to direct paramedics to the building that showed up on her computer.
A spokeswoman for MedImmune refused to comment on either that incident or any attempts they may or may not be making to improve their phone system’s compatibility.
Information on the number of employees at risk in businesses with similar systems was not immediately available, but the growth of the high-tech and biotechnology industries along Montgomery’s I-270 corridor has added to the fire department’s headaches.
“This is a nationwide problem,” Piringer said. “It effects anybody with a centralized phone system.”
