n one sample of 197 calls made [to San Francisco 911], 30 percent were discovered to be butt-dials -- accidental calls typically placed from the handset owner's pocket or purse. These went into the computer-aided dispatch system. Of these calls, 88 percent received a call-back from the dispatcher, a process that took anything between 5 seconds and two and a half minutes, further taxing the overburdened emergency-response system.
Of landline calls, 37 percent were said to be accidental dials. These, though, are dealt with much more quickly by the dispatchers.
"This is due to the fact that wireless accidental dials mostly result from individuals accidentally dialing 9-1-1 from their cell/smart phones," the report explains. "When the dispatcher receives these calls, they only hear an open line and they must call back the number to leave a voicemail. However, most accidental dials from wire line phones come from payphones or building switchboards. Because dispatchers are unable to call back these phone sources, a smaller percentage of calls require the dispatcher to call back which reduces the length of the process."
Thirty-nine percent of the dispatchers surveyed said that cell phone butt-dials were the biggest problem they faced.
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