Ditching your landline could put you at risk

Many people are choosing to ditch their landlines in favour of cell-phones, but officials warn that this could put your home in danger.

While cell phones may be convenient when you’re away from home, officials say they won’t be able to find you as quickly if you call from a cellphone rather than a landline. Scott Beveridge, 911 director for Blair County, US, says when it comes to emergency dialling , a landline is your best option. “In an emergency, time can be the difference between life and death.” He says.

A landline call sends the address, phone number and name of the caller. Beveridge says they use that information every single day for every call. When you dial from a cell phone only the tower used can be traced, and so only the general area where the phone call was placed can be found.

Beveridge says only 60% of their calls come from a landline now, which is down from 70% just two years ago. Even worse Beverage says calling through computers is getting popular, but they are not able to trace those calls at all.

Most people ditching their landlines say it’s more affordable and convenient to use a cell, but many didn’t know that emergency crews can’t trace their calls. Most telephone companies do have plans for people who would like a landline for emergency use only. For more information on an emergency landline, call your local provider.

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