Phase 2 wireless program/progress.

On July 25th 2006, Mayes County voted yes to provide funding for Phase 2 wireless 911 in Mayes County.

Phase 2 wireless is a service that allows the 911 center (PSAP) to be able to pinpoint your location when you dial 911from your cellular phone.This is important because studies show a large number of people that dial 911 from their cell phones do not know their exact location or how to explain to the emergency dispatcher how to get emergency personnel to an emergency.

We have been working very hard to get this service up and running.It required work on our part as well as each of the wireless service providers.Our system at the Mayes County 911 center is completely ready for Phase 2 wireless and now we are waiting for the cellular providers to make their systems ready.

As of January 2007, Mayes County is fully Phase II compliant.When a 911 call is made from a gps enabled phone, the dispatcher is able to locate your location based on this technology.To find out if your phone is compatible with this technology, please contact your service provider.

How Phase 2 works for Mayes County is there are numerous cell phone towers located inside Mayes County.If your cellular phone has Phase 2 (GPS) capabilities, one of these towers that your cellular phone is currently using can send a signal to our computers inside the dispatch center that indicates your current location using a GPS chip located inside your cell phone.At times your phone may be using a tower that is located outside Mayes County.In this case, your call would be answered by the PSAP that answers for that county.These cases would include cell phones used near county lines or if it is simply the closest tower to your position.These other answering points/dispatch centers may not have Phase 2 capabilities even though your phone is capable.All surrounding counties are able or are in the process of becoming Phase 2 ready.We constantly work with our surrounding counties to insure the fastest response possible to emergencies.

Most current phones have this feature.Some older phones would not be able to use this feature.If you are unsure if your phone is able to use this feature, please contact your service provider.