Tulsa County voters to decide on E-911 fee

Thursday, December 8th 2005, 10:19 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa County voters are headed to the polls in a just a few days. Theyâ€™ll decide whether to pay an additional 50 cents on their cell phone bills each month for Enhanced 911 service.

Right now, if you call 911 from a cell phone and aren't able to tell the operator where you are, authorities have no way to find you. Enhanced 911 let's them pinpoint your exact location. It will cost 50 cents per month, per cell phone.

Frank Gresh with EMSA: "They could be barely conscious or not able to speak and call 911 and if they can't tell us where they are, we can't send help immediately."

Public safety experts are in favor of the plan and say it's a small amount to pay for saving a life.

However, others think cell phone bills have enough charges, and they don't want their privacy violated.

The enhanced 911 service for cell phones is only activated when you call, not any other time.