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Media Release
March 17, 2004
Media Contacts:
Rosann Doran Wendy Krajewski
Public Information Officer North Metro Fire Rescue
303.438.6308 Public Information Officer
303.252.3017
Police, Fire offer brochure for
businesses
on phone systems that could delay 9-1-1 response
“We can’t help you if we can’t find you!” is the title of a brochure available for businesses in the area to advise them on safety issues for employees and customers who may be dialing 9-1-1 for help.
Each day, people may be using phone systems that do not give 9-1-1 centers a caller’s exact location during an emergency. Bank branches, apartment and office complexes, hotels or motels and large schools may have the kind of phone systems that do not specify the location of a caller, possibly delaying a response from emergency personnel.
The brochure discusses problems caused by some multi-line telephone systems, PBX and networked office phones that often give 9-1-1 centers only the address and main phone number of a central location. This location is frequently the “front office” that can be located in a different room, building, city or even a different state than where an emergency is occurring.
Unless the caller can direct emergency personnel, the delay from the electronically generated information can be devastating when emergency personnel are hindered because they have been sent to the wrong location, or cannot find a person in need of rescue.
Educational tips are offered in the brochure to insure that customers, employees or visitors know what to do if they are reporting an emergency. Some of these include advising customers whether they need to dial an extra number to get an outside telephone line before dialing 9-1-1, making sure they know where they are – the address of their location and/or what building or room they are in – so emergency personnel can respond correctly.
The brochure also discusses the state rules and regulations requiring that businesses provide written information to people using their telephones and describing the proper method of dialing 9-1-1 from the multi-line telephones.
Police and Fire personnel are also available to help train employees or advise business owners and managers on their telephone systems, and schedule testing on phone systems when dialing 9-1-1.
For more information or to get copies of the brochure, contact Joleen Reefe at the Broomfield Police Department at 720.887-2084, Tony Coraggio, Broomfield Communications Center at 303.438-6411 or Wendy Krajewski at North Metro Fire Rescue, 303.252.3017.
- Take a walk and pick up litter in the neighborhood—make it a family affair.
- Take a family adventure – see the sights of your community. Try hiking, fishing, and canoeing. Explore the zoo and outdoor tourist attractions.
- Plan a family fitness vacation
- Give a gift that encourages physical activity such as a bicycle, a snowboard, ice skates or in-line skates. Select toys that make kids move.
- Walk to a friend’s house instead of calling or emailing them.
- Start a walking club with friends, family members or neighbors, and walk at least three times a week for 30 minutes.
- Use a pedometer and encourage friends to use one, then track how many steps are taken a day. Have a competition on who can walk the most steps each week.
Fitting physical activity into the day can be simple and doesn’t require a strict exercise regimen, just creativity and planning. Making small changes can make a difference in the physical health of children over time. For example, when shopping with your children at the mall, simply getting into the habit of always taking the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator is a much healthier alternative.”
For more information about Public Health Week or physical activity and nutrition, call the Broomfield Health and Human Services, Health Promotions Unit at 720.887.2220.