911 works by providing an address associated with your number. Wireless can be anywhere and without triangulation there is no way for them to automatically know where you are.
Conversely, a land line has an address associated with it and they will know where to come get you.
I am in telecom and provide Hosted PBX/Telephony solutions(VoIP) to businesses. Many times these businesses will have remote users who work from home.
They sign a specific form acknowledging the terms and our ability to provide this service and what the limitations are.
If they use a soft phone or move the phone to another location the PSAP cannot know where that phone is, just as a wireless caller's address cannot be determined.
We ask them to fill out a form for their remote users and they provide the address associated with the phone and we make the corporation and user responsible for the information.
Additionally, here in Northern California, Bay Area, all 911 calls originating on a wireless/cellular device are routed to the Vallejo CHP office. This office is completely understaffed to handle call volume at rush hour and I have waited 20 minutes, on my cell phone, to inform them of an accident. Guess what? Probably 100 other people who saw or passed the accident made a call to 911 so another human being would be helped.
Now, imaging you are at home you have a heart attack, cut your arm with a chainsaw and are bleeding heavily. You call 911 with a cell phone and wait, wait, wait....
If you want life saving help from a policeman, ambulance, fire department, whatever, DO IT FROM A LANDLINE.
Landline calls go to the local 911 center and answered immediately. Provided it is not the end of the world for the rest of society, someone will be at your door in minutes.
Most of the time.
Bottom line if you want help
Amen!
Well, I don't have a home phone, so I guess I'll just lie down and die if I have a heart attack in the night. Or a fire, or a break-in. Sucks to be me.
Oh wait! By jove, I've got it! I'll TELL the 911 operator my adress!
Naw, never mind, too complicated.
PS I have used my cell phone to call 911 five or six times over the last few years to report auto accidents (mine and others’), a fire at a neighbor’s house, and a man on the street who collapsed.
I got an instant connection and super fast on-the scene response.