TORONTO – With less than a year remaining before wireless carriers are required to upgrade their 9-1-1 technology, a new poll has found that Canadians rely on their mobile phones for safety and security, but many are unaware of the actual reach of their emergency coverage.
An on-line survey conducted by Angus Reid Strategies found that at least one-third (36%) of respondents enrolled in a pre-paid plan do not know if the emergency 9-1-1 location services operate from their devices. Two-in-five respondents (43%) do not know if emergency personnel can locate them accurately and dispatch help quickly when they dial 9-1-1, or whether emergency 9-1-1 location services for a mobile phone operate the same all over the country (45%).
“Access to emergency and 9-1-1 services by telephone is of utmost importance to Canadians, but not something they spend much time thinking about,” said Jodi Shanoff, vice president of public affairs at Angus Reid Strategies, in the press release. “We tend to assume we have access to the same coverage and services that have traditionally been available to us through our land lines. Finding out we don’t have these services can come as a surprise to many.”
The market research firm polled 1,003 adult mobile phone users from June 25 – 28, 2009. Respondents almost universally said that specific services related to emergency coverage are imperative to keeping them safe and secure wherever they are, and 96% said that they expect emergency personnel to locate them accurately and dispatch help quickly when they dial 9-1-1, no matter where they dial from or what mobile phone they use.
