III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 118 

Designating April 2011 as ‘‘National 9-1-1 Education Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 30, 2011 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mr. BURR) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating April 2011 as ‘‘National 9-1-1 Education 

Month’’. 

Whereas 9-1-1 is nationally recognized as the number to call 

in an emergency to receive immediate help from police, 

fire, emergency medical services, or other appropriate 

emergency response entities; 

Whereas in 1967, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended 

that ‘‘a single number should be established’’ nationwide 

for reporting emergency situations, and other Federal 

Government agencies and various governmental officials 

also supported and encouraged the recommendation; 

Whereas in 1968 the American Telephone and Telegraph 

Company (AT&T) announced that it would establish the 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 118 ATS 

digits 9-1-1 as the emergency code throughout the United 

States; 

Whereas 9-1-1 was designated by Congress as the national 

emergency call number under the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (Public Law 106– 

81); 

Whereas section 102 of the ENHANCE 911 Act of 2004 (47 

U.S.C. 942 note) declared an enhanced 9-1-1 system to 

be ‘‘a high national priority’’ and part of ‘‘our Nation’s 

homeland security and public safety’’; 

Whereas it is important that policy makers at all levels of 

government understand the importance of 9-1-1, how the 

system works today, and the steps that are needed to 

modernize the 9-1-1 system; 

Whereas the 9-1-1 system is the connection between the public and the emergency response system in the United 

States and is often the first place emergencies of all magnitudes are reported, making 9-1-1 a significant homeland security asset; 

Whereas more than 6,000 9-1-1 public safety answering 

points serve more than 3,000 counties and parishes 

throughout the United States; 

Whereas dispatchers at public safety answering points answer 

more than 200,000,000 9-1-1 calls each year in the 

United States; 

Whereas a growing number of 9-1-1 calls are made using 

wireless and Internet Protocol-based communications 

services; 

Whereas a growing segment of the population, including the 

deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and individuals with 

speech disabilities are increasingly communicating with 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 118 ATS 

nontraditional text, video, and instant messaging communications services and expect those services to be able to 

connect directly to 9-1-1; 

Whereas the growth and variety of means of communication, 

including mobile and Internet Protocol-based systems, 

impose challenges for accessing 9-1-1 and implementing 

an enhanced 9-1-1 system and require increased education and awareness about the capabilities of different 

means of communication; 

Whereas the ability to communicate through voice, text, data, 

and video conferencing provides an opportunity for the 

Nation’s 9-1-1 system to adopt next generation applications and services, greatly enhancing the capabilities of 9- 

1-1 services; 

Whereas numerous other ‘‘N-1-1’’ and 800 number services 

exist for non-emergency situations, including 2-1-1, 3-1- 

1, 5-1-1, 7-1-1, 8-1-1, poison control centers, and mental 

health hotlines, and the public needs to be educated 

about when to use such services in addition to, or instead 

of, 9-1-1; 

Whereas international visitors and immigrants make up an 

increasing percentage of the population of the United 

States each year, and visitors and immigrants may have 

limited knowledge of our emergency calling system; 

Whereas people of all ages use 9-1-1 and it is critical to educate people on the proper use of 9-1-1; 

Whereas senior citizens are at high risk for needing to call 

9-1-1 and many senior citizens are learning to use new 

technology; 

Whereas thousands of 9-1-1 calls are made each year by children who are properly trained in the use of 9-1-1, which 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 118 ATS 

saves lives and underscores the critical importance of 

training children about 9-1-1 early in life; 

Whereas the 9-1-1 system is often misused, such as through 

the placement of prank and non-emergency calls; 

Whereas misuse of the 9-1-1 system results in costly and inefficient use of 9-1-1 and emergency response resources, 

and such misuse needs to be reduced; 

Whereas parents, teachers, and caregivers must be educated 

about 9-1-1 in order to play an active role in 9-1-1 education for children; 

Whereas there are many avenues for 9-1-1 public education, 

including safety fairs, school presentations, libraries, 

churches, businesses, public safety answering point tours 

or open houses, civic organizations, and senior citizen 

centers; 

Whereas parents, teachers, and the National Parent Teacher 

Association contribute significantly to the goal of educating children about the importance of 9-1-1 through 

targeted outreach efforts to public and private schools; 

Whereas the United States should strive to host at least 1 

annual educational event regarding the proper use of 9- 

1-1 in every school in the Nation; 

Whereas the people of the United States deserve the best 

education regarding the use of 9-1-1; and 

Whereas programs to promote proper use of 9-1-1 during 

‘‘National 9-1-1 Education Month’’ may include— 

(1) public awareness events, such as conferences and 

media outreach; 

(2) training activities for businesses, parents, teachers, school administrators, and other caregivers; 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS
5 

•SRES 118 ATS 

(3) educational events in schools and other appropriate venues; and 

(4) production and distribution of information about 

the 9-1-1 system, designed to educate people of all ages 

on the importance and proper use of 9-1-1: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates April 2011 as ‘‘National 9-1-1 

3 Education Month’’; and 

4 (2) urges Government officials, parents, teach5 ers, school administrators, caregivers, businesses, 

6 nonprofit organizations, and the people of the 

7 United States to observe ‘‘National 9-1-1 Education 

8 Month’’ with appropriate ceremonies, training 

9 events, and activities. 

Æ 


tjames on DSKG8SOYB1PROD with BILLS