>
>> 1. Only ten percent of local subscribers can make a 911 call at any one
>> time, which means any disaster will quickly overload the local network,
>> and prevent reporting of other events which aren't part of the disaster. >
>For some reason, the telephone companies have refused to work out an
>emergency notice protocol in which they'd ask radio/TV stations to
>broadcast a notice not to use the telephone except for a real
>emergency. This would be used when telephone lines are jammed. It
>would help a lot to keep lines clear in disasters.
>
>Many younger people today have no idea what a public fire call box is
>or where it is. Having them wouldn't help too much.
>
>Are there authoritative documented examples of landline 911 and
>telephone systems being so overloaded that emergency calls couldn't >get through?
Yes. _many_.
If you can't get dial-tone at the local C.O. you can't call _anywhere_ If you can't get get a trunk out of the C.O. you can't call remote. If there's no free trunk _into_ the 911 center, you can't call _them_.
Consider how many operator stations there are such a center, postulate a 'silly' multiple (say 50 lines/answering position) for trunks.
How many calls does it to take to overwhelm the center?