City Won’t Join Edmonton’s Call To Avoid Using Internet PhonesCalgary (eCanadaNow) -The city of Calgary has decided to refrain from issuing a caution to its citizens in the wake of a tragedy last week concerning the public 911 systems.
Little Elijah Luck passed away after his family, who lives in Calgary, called 911 and asked for help. Because they had formerly lived at a different location the ambulance was routed to a different place. The Luck family failed to update its 911 address with its VoIP Internet telephone provider, so the ambulance was sent to the wrong place.
After 30 minutes at the scene another person called 911 from a landline, but it was too late, Elijah Luck had already died.
The Calgary Manager for Public Safety, Curtis Brochu stated it is not up to city leaders to dictate what type of telephone service customers have.
“We are not going to play around with the free marketplace, but on the same hand consumers have to know their limitations,” stated Brochu.
People should be aware that the VoIP 911 calls are routed through a third party, and as such they are likely to result in confusion when an emergency strikes.
