Dial 911 with a disconnected cell phone
As some of the readers know I also work full time as a cellular agent for U.S. Cellular. Every day or two someone comes to me and say’s I would like to buy a cell phone to have in my car in case of an emergency. They also tell me that they don’t want to pay $40 a month to have this added bit of comfort when on the road.
Many people don’t know that the FCC regulates cell phones and has mandated that all cell phones regardless of current service status will be allowed to dial 911. You also have the option to bill your call to a credit card the next time your out of gas or similar.
Now before you go out and get yourself a 911 phone let me give you some insight on the limitations of dialing 911 from a disconnected cell phone. If you do not have a signal you may encounter complications when placing your call. Also be sure to state your location (as best you can) to ensure the dispatcher knows where to send assistance. When you call 911 from a disconnected cell phone no CID (or Caller Identification Data) is sent as with landline 911 calls. Another tip is to keep a good charge on the phone and have it powered off in the glove box. In addition you may also want to purchase a battery boost. This will give you an emergency reserve battery supply incase you are stranded for a prolonged period of time. The battery boost or cell boost are relatively cheap and can be purchased at most Radio Shack stores.
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