Question:
OK I spent 2 hours today trying to help a medium sized city in the northwest US list 911 in the phone book. Yes that is right, they aren't sure if their citizens will remeber the number. Not listing it near the front in big letters where it says 911 for Emergency like all books say. That is a special type that is done by the publisher. I am talking about having an emergency, grabbing a phone book, looking up the office numbers for the city you are in and scrolling down to POLICE EMRERGECY - 911. Now the people I work with thought that it was not the least bit odd that they wanted to list it, and other cities do it all the time. Maybe, I thought, it is just me that thinks it odd/funny/stupid they would spend so much time and pay for this listing. So I am posting my first poll. Please let me know what you think about this so as to confirm my sanity or insanity.

Do you think it odd that 911 has to be listed in the phone book next to the Water department and the number that you call for your trash pick up days?

Choices:
That is the most stupid wasteful example of squandering taxpayer money!
Well it is a bit silly but it could be helpful.
I hate phone books and phone companies.
This is a fine service how do I get my city to do it?
What is 911 anyway?

 

I'd like to see a poll that says 'Go look in your phone book, is it in there?'

I wanna know how many cities have it.

Anyhow. The 'Police' section of the Alameda County phone book is grouped by city, and the first entry under each city is Emergency - 911.

Berkeley:
Emergency - 911
Non-Emergency - 999-9999
Etc.

Kensington:
Emergency - 911
Non-Emergency - 999-9999
Etc.

Public Enemy - 911 Is A Joke

Hit me
Going, going, gone
Now I dialed 911 a long time ago
Don't you see how late they're reactin'
They only come and they come when they wanna
So get the morgue embalm the goner
They don't care 'cause they stay paid anyway
They teach ya like an ace they can't be betrayed
I know you stumble with no use people
If your life is on the line they you're dead today
Late comings with the late comin' stretcher
That's a body bag in disguise y'all betcha
I call 'em body snatchers quick they come to fetch ya?
With an autopsy ambulance just to dissect ya
They are the kings 'cause they swing amputation
Lose your arms, your legs to them it's compilation
I can prove it to you watch the rotation
It all adds up to a funky situation
So get up get, get get down
911 is a joke in yo town
Get up, get, get, get down
Late 911 wears the late crown

911 is a joke


Everyday they don't never come correct
You can ask my man right here with the broken neck
He's a witness to the job never bein' done
He would've been in full in 8 9-11
Was a joke 'cause they always jokin'
They the token to your life when it's croakin'
They need to be in a pawn shop on a
911 is a joke we don't want 'em
I call a cab 'cause a cab will come quicker
The doctors huddle up and call a flea flicker
The reason that I say that 'cause they
Flick you off like fleas
They be laughin' at ya while you're crawlin' on your knees
And to the strength so go the length
Thinkin' you are first when you really are tenth
You better wake up and smell the real flavor
Cause 911 is a fake life saver

So get up, get, get get down
911 is a joke in yo town
Get up, get, get, get down
Late 911 wears the late crown

Ow, ow 911 is a joke


The *really* bent thing is that when I googled the song title and 'lyrics', most of the links claimed it was a Duran Duran song. Duran Duran covers Public Enemy? The mind boggles!

I don't know. It's 119 here in Sweden.

Under "Emergencies" in this White Pages I'm looking at it, it has CALL...000. Under "Ambulance Service of N.S.W." it has IN AN EMERGENCY (Free Call)...000. Under "Fire Brigades-NSW" it has TO REPORT EMERGENCIES DIAL...000. I can't say what is listed under "Police" because we don't have an L-Z. Anywhere. In large red letters inside the front cover is the phrase IN A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY DIAL 000. The number is also listed further down that page under 24-HOUR EMERGENCY NUMBERS next to "Ambulance, Fire and Police". The number is also listed in the Yellow Pages inside the front cover and under "Ambulances". The number is not listed under "Fire Brigades" and the "Police" entry directs you to the inside front cover. So, pretty much all bases covered.

We get a lot of tourists.

Just in case you think that was a waste of my time, while looking for "Ambulances", I discovered that the Sydney Yellow Pages has thirteen entries for "Alpaca and/or Llama Breeders", including the Australian Alpaca Association and Prestige Alpacas of 43 Tierney Road Kurmond.

I think it would confuse people if they started listing 911 in the phone books of Norway
Anyway, they already list our emergency numbers - 110, 112 and 114.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Crash:
I don't know. It's 119 here in Sweden.

---

Well that makes sense, they must flip it when you cross the atlantic!

That would make it 611 in South America

quote:

---

Originally posted by dotherobot:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Crash:
I don't know. It's 119 here in Sweden.

---

Well that makes sense, they must flip it when you cross the date line/equater!

That would make it 611 in South America

---

RobW might remember, but a few months back there was a public service ad on TV, with a bunch of little kids saying how important it was to remember that the emergency number in the land down under is "000" not "911".

The obvious reason for this was that kids being raised on Yank TV would often try and ring the US number to get help.

Not entirely true, apparently. The ad was sponsored by Matchbox cars, and had me remember back to a letter in Fretful Parenting Magazine (or something) that was from a mother who was worried that the only emergency number her son had learnt was from the side of toy American ambulances - "911". Perhaps she finally got into contact with Matchbox Australia and threatened legal action.

"Well that makes sense, they must flip it when you cross the date line/equater!"

Well that would be true if Sweden was across the dateline and/or the equator. Maybe you meant the Prime Meridian?

In the UK we use 999, but I'm pretty certain that you can use 911 also as it was introduced to deal with people who kept using it. I don't have a phonebook, either at home or work. My view is if I don't already know the number¹ or I can't find it on the internet then I don't need it.

quote:

---

(Trying to call the emergency services)
Ed: Shaun, what's going on?
Shaun: Shit, it's engaged!
Ed: How about an ambulance?
Shaun: It's engaged, Ed.
Ed: A fire engine?
Shaun: It's one number, Ed, and it's busy! Okay? What you want a fire engine for, anyway?
Ed: Anything with flashing lights, you know?

---

¹ To tell the truth, I only know 3 numbers - my home number, my work number and my Dad's number (not from use but because it has basically remained the same for 33 years). If I need another number, I log onto my mail account, get my wife's mobile number, phone her and get her to give me the number I need.

Here centralized emergencies are 112, but you can call also local police (092), national police (091), Guardia Civil (062), Fire Dept. (080).

Indeed, those short numbers have been in use for decades, so the new centralized emergencies was just tacked in. Operators in each of these emergency numbers are used to transferring from one service to another.

Most old people still call the 091 in emergencies, as it has been the main emergency number for sixty years. It shows we were a dictatorship with three short numbers for different police services, and none for health concerns.

092 and 080 are listed in the city hall data as well, after the specific number for the PD and FD. The others do not appear in the guide,except in the inside front cover and the "Numbers of interest" section.

José

For us Yanks in the states, I personally think that anyone who has to seriously ask, "What number do I call if I have an emergency?" is probably too dumb to know which section in the phone book said number would be listed under. This means, of course, natural citizens of the US- tourists are allowed such gaffes and genuine questions, since such numbers are apparently different worlwide.

Anyway... I think it'd be a total waste of time and money for the number to be listed in the phone book when it's already prominently displayed all over the place throughout the city- billboards, police squad cars, ambulances, road signs, fire engines... they all have the number decaled everywhere. I also think that such wastes of taxpayers' money is a round-about way of excusing stupidity and I, for one, have absolutely NO truck with that.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Crash:
"Well that makes sense, they must flip it when you cross the date line/equater!"

Well that would be true if Sweden was across the dateline and/or the equator. Maybe you meant the Prime Meridian?

---

Hey Sweden if I say you're across the date line, then across the date line you are, do not question my unilateral decision! That is Texas geography 101 that you are doubting there!

Just a note for those who haven't had the pleasure of calling 911 in the states, we just have the one number. When you call it they say, "911 what is your emergency?" or something like it. You then say, "I'm on fire!" or "I just shot somebody!" or "That guy is the wrong color to be in this neighborhood!" Now the last time I did it, (to report kids trying to break into cars) I got a fire dispatcher, so halfway through my explanation she transferred me to a police dispatcher and I had to start all over. I think I was told they do it this way because most emergencies are going to be related to medical or fire events so they are the first people you speak to. Calling from a cell phone makes it even more complicated, if you are in a different city than your cell phone service and your phone isn't smart enough to know where it is you may get the wrong city's emergency service.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: editengine,

Don't forget, folks, that G.W. Bush was the governor of Texas. All claims about the Texas education system are immediately suspect when it comes to anything outside the state's borders.

911 isn't on the cover of my local phone book - it's on the first page, tho.

I was torn between the first choice and the last one on the poll above. Thanks for the giggle.

Just joined, hello. Haven't read Difference Engine yet, but I've covered everything else, I think.

*waves*

It's 112 (all emergencies) here. There's also 100 (medical and fire emergencies), 101 (police emergencies). I certainly hope there isn't a 911 here. I hold belgians a bit smarter than that.
These and many other emergency numbers (anti poison central, suicde helpline, child focus, etc) are all on the first few pages of the phonebook. I've never heard of any cities listing the emergency numbers as well.

Frankly, i think it's hella stupid.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Crash:
I don't know. It's 119 here in Sweden.

---

Actually it's 112. EU standard i think. It replaced 90 000 a few years back.

Ah Kradlum, that movie is one of the best of the last decade, surely.

112 is probably correct. I would never assume the EU standard in Sweden though. They tend to be a little slow about adopting certain things (see copyright law, et al).