Call for Triple-0 Mobile Location Tracking

The National Heart Foundation of Australia is supporting the renewed call to demand that telecommunications providers enable mobile location tracking, believing the measure will save lives.
The Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority in Victoria has today highlighted the issue now that more than half of its Triple Zero (000) calls are now from mobiles; a statistic likely to reflect national averages.
Unlike calls from landlines that provide exact addresses, operators have to verify the caller’s location, adding time to the call which then delays response and potential dispatch time.
The Heart Foundation’s National CEO, Dr Lyn Roberts, believes the move is a logical step to save lives.
“Given the potential for cutting ambulance response times and saving lives we believe the federal government should legislate to speed up the introduction of adequate location services,” Dr Roberts said.
“Every year 55,000 Australians have a heart attack and sadly, more than 50% of people who die of a heart attack don’t make it to hospital. “For patients experiencing heart attack, every minute counts. “People who are treated within an hour of their first heart attack symptom have the greatest chance of not only surviving, but continuing to enjoy a good quality of life.”
Dr Roberts added mobile phone location tracking would also help people who may struggle to speak English or who have difficult communicating, as they could be located more easily without having to give an address or location.
Location technology has been used for several years in Europe and the US however Australian carriers have yet to implement the system.