Issues 000 (emergency telephone number)

1 issues

1.1 2009 victorian bushfires
1.2 2003 overload in melbourne
1.3 nickname
1.4 remote locations
1.5 david iredale
1.6 2014 tpg fine

issues
2009 victorian bushfires

on 7 february 2009, catastrophic bushfires occurred in victoria, otherwise known black saturday bushfires. on 18,000 calls triple 0 emergency service on day left unanswered , majority of calls took longer answered usual. owing unprecedented numbers of calls coming through, telstra decided isolate victorian emergency calls answered melbourne emergency call centre remaining calls answered sydney emergency call centre. telstra activated generic extreme event recorded voice announcement have dialled emergency triple zero. if require police, fire or ambulance please stay on line. if require local state emergency service please hang , dial 1223 — that’s 1223 — service cannot connected through triple 0 temporary replaced front end announcement while telstra records show 95 emergency call centre employees rostered during 24-hour period on 7 february 2009, call pick delays evident due lengthy delays @ secc level, being esta. telstra agents left tied on phone calls callers, waiting emergency services answer, calls in 000 queue unable answered. callers in queue waiting telstra agent answer phone played rva every 30 seconds in following terms, have dialled emergency triple 0 number. due unprecedented high volume of calls being received triple zero, experiencing short delays in answering. please stay on line , answered next available operator . reassures callers extreme emergency occurring , call answered.

2003 overload in melbourne

on 3 december 2003, floods , storms in melbourne caused large influx of 000 calls, prevented calls being answered immediately. caused users interviewed authorities believe may have accidentally dialled wrong number. subsequent investigation recommended temporary recorded announcement implemented during extreme events assure callers calls being connected , delay may occur. not confused standard have dialled emergency triple zero, call being connected rva, introduced in 2008.

nickname

emergency services , australia s communications regulator prefer phrase triple 0 on triple oh because of potential confusion , misunderstanding on keying number when using alpha-numeric keypads, on letter o typically located on same key number 6 . cause people dial 666 in emergency, not 000, or enter alphabet characters ooo if using computer-based dialler or telephone software such voip (a feature intended used numbers advertised phrase or word, such 13 cabs or 1800 reverse).

remote locations

one major obstacle in earlier 2009 operators of triple-0 not use gps within gsm or cdma systems accurately locate distressed or injured persons using mobile phones visibly away roads. presently, operators must ask caller are. answer may need correspond existing road name (which may practically impossible distressed person(s) kilometres away road) until emergency service organisation operator can dispatch emergency service vehicle.

in 2010, australian communications , media authority researching options may provide improved location information mobile services when dialling 000.

david iredale

the new south wales state labor government has admitted failings regarding death of david iredale, high school student died of dehydration in bush near katoomba, new south wales in late 2006. iredale called 000 several times before died. emergency services, nsw ambulance service triple-zero call centre, accused of inappropriately handling iredale s calls; not given medical advice, , operators accused of being pre-occupied obtaining street address send to, although iredale in bush. inquest set investigate failings in 000 system result of death identified serious issues in practices used 000 operators.

another reported case of 000 s failure assist reported in daily telegraph. mother joanna wicking had called police assistance 000 operator chose believe killer instead, had assured operator fine, despite repeated calls joanna.

see link incident 6 months later when 000 staff insistent needing street address number remote country farm , man needing died.

2014 tpg fine

in april 2014, telecommunications company tpg fined a$400,000 withholding access emergency numbers customers had failed pay bills. federal court justice mordecai bromberg found tpg failed provide access on over 190 occasions between march , september 2011 , company did not ensure 6000 lines had emergency access.