tricky: Interesting… I’d like to know the answer to that, too as we are hosting an Italian guest for the summer and she is using 2 phones from home (and we do not have a landline).

On a side note, I called 911 from my cell (a 206#) last fall near Lowman Beach and it was answered by Kitsap County 911. The operator had to ask me what city I was calling from and transfer me to Seattle.

I don’t know the official answer, but I suspect they can track sometimes. I say this because I called to report a disabled vehicle last week and the operator asked “on the West Seattle bridge?” and I had not identified the car’s location or my location at all. At the time I was exiting onto Delridge from the bridge.

No, your mom’s address won’t come up on the 911 call receivers screen as your location.

Yes, they can figure out your general current location when you call 911. Police are sent quite regularly to 911 hang up calls from cell phones where the dispatcher can give the last known location of the GPS coordinates. It’s not an exact location, but your “general location”.

From the King County website:

“When calling 9-1-1 one of the first questions you will be asked will be “What’s your location?”

King County has implemented Phase II Wireless 9-1-1 service as specified by the Federal Communications Commission with all wireless carriers who provide service here. This means that wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed based on the cell site that received the call, not the caller’s exact location, and only your general location may display at the 9-1-1 center. Because of this, it is very important that you know your location and can relay the address, street names, or landmark to the call receiver that answers your 9-1-1 call. A survey done in March 2010 showed that about 17% of people who called 9-1-1 from a wireless phone in King County did not know their location. This can delay response time as the 9-1-1 call receiver attempts to obtain a valid location to be able to send police, fire or medical aid.

As with all 9-1-1 calls, it is important that you stay on the line, unless there is a threat to your safety, and that you answer all of the call receiver’s questions as calmly as possible. Your call may need to be transferred to another agency, depending on your exact location and the nature of your emergency. If your phone loses service during the call or you are disconnected, call 9-1-1 as soon as you are able to re-establish a connection. If the 9-1-1 center has received your phone number, they will also attempt to call you back.”