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From: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Caller ID Saves A Life!
Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0450m01@vector.dallas.tx.us>
Date: 15 Oct 89 14:27:12 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 450, message 1 of 8

For those of you who think Caller ID is the worst scourge to ever come
to the telephone industry, consider this case from Van Nuys, CA about
three weeks ago:

Penny and Michael Rodgers are a typical family living in Van Nuys.
Their son Jameson is three years old. While Mr. Rodgers was gone to
work one day, Mrs. Rodgers became violently ill and began choking.
While the nature of her illness was not discussed in the newspaper
account, what was noted was that she collapsed on the floor in the
family's home, and was choking and gasping for air.

Little Jameson saw his mother there and tried to talk to her. She
would not, because she could not, answer him. But he knew what to do
because his parents had taught him that in any dangerous situation;
ie, if anyone tried to hurt him, or his parents; or if anything seemed
to be wrong, he was to push the button on the autodialer connected to
the phone which had the picture of the policeman. That, he was told,
would summon the police and bring help.

The autodialer was programmed to simply dial 911, which conneced to
the Emergency Services dispatcher at the Van Nuys, CA, Police and Fire
Department.

Jameson lifted the receiver and pushed the button. He wasn't able to
tell the lady who answered where he lived, and he did not know for
sure how to say his last name. But he knew he was Jameson, three years
old, and that his mother was laying on the floor and would not speak
to him; and that she was coughing and 'breathing funny'.

By using her Caller ID display, the emergency dispatcher was able to
locate the phone number and address of Jameson and his mother. Once
the ambulance and paramedics were enroute, the dispatcher asked
Jameson to go outside and wait for them to arrive, then take them to
his mother when they arrived, about two minutes later.

The City of Van Nuys recommended a 'hero award' for little Jameson,
and at a ceremony last week, the tape recording of his conversation
with the emergency dispatcher was played back. Police officials
pointed out there were two lessons to be learned from the experience:
One, that all children should be taught, at the earliest possible age,
how to summon emergency help over the telephone from '911'; and two,
that without the Caller ID enhancement to the community's Emergency
Service line, there would have been no way to get help to Mrs. Rodgers
in time to save her life.

He noted that prior to the installation of Caller ID, there had been
several objections to the service; 'violation of privacy' being the
major complaint.  Some people apparently felt they had the 'right' to
talk to the police anonymously, and that this 'right' superceded the
rights of the police and fire departments to administer their duties
effeciently and effectively.

"We think caller ID was responsible for saving Mrs. Rodgers' life."

Patrick Townson