[Draft] International Emergency Phone Line

[Ardiveds]

“Ambassador, eat shit and d…” Delegate Arthur looks at the paper awkwardly, looks at everybody else and then takes out another paper, his brow sweaty and cheeks red “ummm wrong paper, sorry. Ambassador, stop pandering to ignorant and lazy tourists and wasting our government’s time. Ardiveds remains opposed.”

[Greater Cesnica]

McCooley chuckles. "Thank you for confirming that, Ambassador."

[Imperium Anglorum]

How is this international security?

[Greater Cesnica]

How is this international security?

OOC: It seems like the closest fit. Perhaps Category: Regulation, Area of Effect: Safety might work better?

[Imperium Anglorum]

I don't know; maybe one of the category pinhead-angel counters can help you there. Also. 111 < 112.

[Greater Cesnica]

I don't know; maybe one of the category pinhead-angel counters can help you there. Also. 111 < 112.

Ah, right. 112 isn't susceptible to accidental dialing in the same manner as 111 is. I will make that change.

[Wallenburg]

I don't know; maybe one of the category pinhead-angel counters can help you there. Also. 111 < 112.

Ah, right. 112 isn't susceptible to accidental dialing in the same manner as 111 is. I will make that change.

"'Accidental dialing'? You mean misdialing? I don't see how 112 would be any less vulnerable to that than 111. Either way, both are totally arbitrary, and serve no real utility over nationally determined emergency contact information."

[Greater Cesnica]

Ah, right. 112 isn't susceptible to accidental dialing in the same manner as 111 is. I will make that change.

"'Accidental dialing'? You mean misdialing? I don't see how 112 would be any less vulnerable to that than 111. Either way, both are totally arbitrary, and serve no real utility over nationally determined emergency contact information."

"Children are less likely to accidentally dial '112', as opposed to '111'. The same benefits apply when it comes to defective keys, vibrations, or impacts, as well as in regards to pulse dialing systems where depressing the receiver hook three times would dial '111'."

[Wallenburg]

"'Accidental dialing'? You mean misdialing? I don't see how 112 would be any less vulnerable to that than 111. Either way, both are totally arbitrary, and serve no real utility over nationally determined emergency contact information."

"Children are less likely to accidentally dial '112', as opposed to '111'. The same benefits apply when it comes to defective keys, vibrations, or impacts,

"Perhaps so, but just as easily not. My child has a play phone which she enjoys spinning around every which way. Rather rarely does she stick to a single number in doing so. In fact, she enjoys counting upward. It wouldn't be much of a stretch that, in an attempt to dial '123' she might dial '1123', and the conventional approach of connecting to an emergency request as soon as it is detected will put her in contact with this emergency number. Unless you can produce scientific evidence one way or the other, I must dismiss these assumptions of yours as derived from your singular cultural perspective, without regard for how others actually behave."

as well as in regards to pulse dialing systems where depressing the receiver hook three times would dial '111'."

"Well, perhaps, or you might dial '3'. I am not arguing for '111' as a one-size-fits-none code. I am arguing against '112' as another one-size-fits-none code."

[Separatist Peoples]

"The Wallenburgian delegation has outlined our continued opposition clearly. Mandating a specific sequence is intolerable."

[Araraukar]

"If the concern for travelers is the point of this pile of crap, then replace everything with a single line: "requires travelers to be aware of the local way to contact emergency services when needed". That way the burden would be on the traveler as it is now, the nations wouldn't need to do any costly changes, and it would be of wider application than mere phone systems."

[Daarwyrth]

Dame Maria vyn Nysen, WA Representative of Daarwyrth: "Our delegation finds this a noble endeavour and will gladly support it. In an emergency, travelers may have the tendency to fall back on knowledge they are already aware of, and so it would not surprise me if they use the emergency number they have always known, instead of the one that's operational in the country they find themselves in.

Our delegation only has one concern, namely about all the other numbers used in member nations. Would it not be a more prudent course of action to add in a clause that there needs to be a database with all emergency numbers in member nations across the World Assembly, so that if any of those numbers is used, it will transfer the caller to the nearest available emergency service?"

[Tinhampton]

Alexander Smith, Tinhamptonian Delegate-Ambassador to the World Assembly: Suppose that, in the WA member state Adrahrtwy, you must call 05382 2725 6419 in order to reach the emergency services. Now if somebody living somewhere in - I don't know, the fellow WA member state of Lesser Cesnica's mobile phone number is 05382 2725 6419, then all calls that would otherwise be answered by that somebody will now be redirected to the emergency services. Such a policy would substantially increase the risk of well-meaning but unnecessary calls which police, ambulance and fire services must now waste their time dealing with - instead of reports of terrorist acts, life-threatening injuries, and warehouse fires - in Lesser Cesnica and elsewhere.

[Adrahrtwy]

Alexander Smith, Tinhamptonian Delegate-Ambassador to the World Assembly: Suppose that, in the WA member state Adrahrtwy, you must call 05382 2725 6419 in order to reach the emergency services. Now if somebody living somewhere in - I don't know, the fellow WA member state of Lesser Cesnica's mobile phone number is 05382 2725 6419, then all calls that would otherwise be answered by that somebody will now be redirected to the emergency services. Such a policy would substantially increase the risk of well-meaning but unnecessary calls which police, ambulance and fire services must now waste their time dealing with - instead of reports of terrorist acts, life-threatening injuries, and warehouse fires - in Lesser Cesnica and elsewhere.

The aide of a non-WA diplomat passing through the WA headquarters looks up, having overheard the name. He smiled, stirring the diplomat with his elbow. "Hey, hey, boss, he's talking about us! He's talking about our nation! Hey, hey, boss!" he says, while being stubbornly ignored by the diplomat.

[Bananaistan]

Alexander Smith, Tinhamptonian Delegate-Ambassador to the World Assembly: Suppose that, in the WA member state Adrahrtwy, you must call 05382 2725 6419 in order to reach the emergency services. Now if somebody living somewhere in - I don't know, the fellow WA member state of Lesser Cesnica's mobile phone number is 05382 2725 6419, then all calls that would otherwise be answered by that somebody will now be redirected to the emergency services. Such a policy would substantially increase the risk of well-meaning but unnecessary calls which police, ambulance and fire services must now waste their time dealing with - instead of reports of terrorist acts, life-threatening injuries, and warehouse fires - in Lesser Cesnica and elsewhere.

"Sorry, what now?

"First of all, international access codes are a thing. Secondly, the emergency services in Adrahrtwy will continue on their merry way using 05382 2725 6419, and Jo Randomer in Lesser Cesnica will also carry on their merry way using that number."

[Daarwyrth]

Alexander Smith, Tinhamptonian Delegate-Ambassador to the World Assembly: Suppose that, in the WA member state Adrahrtwy, you must call 05382 2725 6419 in order to reach the emergency services. Now if somebody living somewhere in - I don't know, the fellow WA member state of Lesser Cesnica's mobile phone number is 05382 2725 6419, then all calls that would otherwise be answered by that somebody will now be redirected to the emergency services. Such a policy would substantially increase the risk of well-meaning but unnecessary calls which police, ambulance and fire services must now waste their time dealing with - instead of reports of terrorist acts, life-threatening injuries, and warehouse fires - in Lesser Cesnica and elsewhere.

"Sorry, what now?

"First of all, international access codes are a thing. Secondly, the emergency services in Adrahrtwy will continue on their merry way using 05382 2725 6419, and Jo Randomer in Lesser Cesnica will also carry on their merry way using that number."

Vyn Nysen: "I agree with the ambassador from Bananaistan. And even if international access codes weren't a thing, surely there would be others ways of including more emergency service numbers from member nations in a workable manner? I believe I heard once that the number 911 is also used in some distant country I can't recall the name of. It would seem a little impractical to only include one emergency service number, while ignoring the rest."

[Tinhampton]

Alexander Smith, Tinhamptonian Delegate-Ambassador to the World Assembly: Suppose that, in the WA member state Adrahrtwy, you must call 05382 2725 6419 in order to reach the emergency services. Now if somebody living somewhere in - I don't know, the fellow WA member state of Lesser Cesnica's mobile phone number is 05382 2725 6419, then all calls that would otherwise be answered by that somebody will now be redirected to the emergency services. Such a policy would substantially increase the risk of well-meaning but unnecessary calls which police, ambulance and fire services must now waste their time dealing with - instead of reports of terrorist acts, life-threatening injuries, and warehouse fires - in Lesser Cesnica and elsewhere.

"Sorry, what now?

"First of all, international access codes are a thing. Secondly, the emergency services in Adrahrtwy will continue on their merry way using 05382 2725 6419, and Jo Randomer in Lesser Cesnica will also carry on their merry way using that number."

Smith: Comrade Ted, I note that Representative Vyn Nysen suggested that there exist "a database with all emergency numbers in member nations[,] so that if any of those numbers is used, it will transfer the caller to the nearest available emergency service." I accept that the hypothetical oh-five... something problem will not be as problematic as I thought outside of Lesser Cesnica, but could cause significant problems for those within the country nonetheless.
At this point, however, the Tinhamptonian delegation supports Ambassador McCooley's current approach to emergency service telephone numbers.

[Wallenburg]

"Sorry, what now?

"First of all, international access codes are a thing. Secondly, the emergency services in Adrahrtwy will continue on their merry way using 05382 2725 6419, and Jo Randomer in Lesser Cesnica will also carry on their merry way using that number."

Smith: Comrade Ted, I note that Representative Vyn Nysen suggested that there exist "a database with all emergency numbers in member nations[,] so that if any of those numbers is used, it will transfer the caller to the nearest available emergency service." I accept that the hypothetical oh-five... something problem will not be as problematic as I thought outside of Lesser Cesnica, but could cause significant problems for those within the country nonetheless.
At this point, however, the Tinhamptonian delegation supports Ambassador McCooley's current approach to emergency service telephone numbers.

It is untenable to merge hundreds or thousands of different numbers--numbers that no doubt are already in use elsewhere by other entities--to a single line at every exchange.

[Imperium Anglorum]

It seems clear to me that travellers might also want to use other obvious emergency lines; while 911 is not a particularly intelligent number to establish for the emergency services (taking forever to dial on a rotary phone), it would be a shame if calls thereto were not redirected.

[Araraukar]

IC: "One wonders what a clueless tourist would actually benefit from calling the Araraukarian emergency line, via whatever faffery the author thinks is going to work - as for some reason tourists seem to be unable to remember a few numbers themselves - if they do not speak Araraukarian? If they can't be bothered to learn three numbers, they're unlikely going to be bothering to learn enough of our language to be able to communicate meaningfully."

OOC: Also, wouldn't it be more useful to require mobile phone manufacturers to recognize the area in which they're used and then do the dialing to the right emergency number when detecting user attempt to dial the emrgency number? Like, you're from somewhere that uses 112, and press 1, 1 and 2, but you're in a nation that uses 000, so the phone actually dials 0, 0 and 0 for you. Landline phones could have a reminder of the local emergency number actually on them. Stickers are easier to change than phone numbers.

The language issue still comes up and is impossible to fix, really.

[Separatist Peoples]

Ooc: this whole thing could be resolved by issuing notices to immigrants and visitors with the emergency number written on them as part of their visa information.

[Araraukar]

Ooc: this whole thing could be resolved by issuing notices to immigrants and visitors with the emergency number written on them as part of their visa information.

OOC: Yes, it's almost like the author was reading selectively... *eyeroll*

My earlier suggestion too:

"If the concern for travelers is the point of this pile of crap, then replace everything with a single line: "requires travelers to be aware of the local way to contact emergency services when needed". That way the burden would be on the traveler as it is now, the nations wouldn't need to do any costly changes, and it would be of wider application than mere phone systems."

[Greater Cesnica]

Ooc: this whole thing could be resolved by issuing notices to immigrants and visitors with the emergency number written on them as part of their visa information.

OOC: Yes, it's almost like the author was reading selectively... *eyeroll*

My earlier suggestion too:

"If the concern for travelers is the point of this pile of crap, then replace everything with a single line: "requires travelers to be aware of the local way to contact emergency services when needed". That way the burden would be on the traveler as it is now, the nations wouldn't need to do any costly changes, and it would be of wider application than mere phone systems."

OOC: The author is preoccupied with other matters IRL and hasn't gotten around to updating any of his drafts yet.

[Great Nortend]

OOC: What about nations where telephone dialling doesn't exist (being operator controlled), or where numerals are not used? I assume in such cases, “a call to 112” could not be made in the first place. However, there is a real concern that this would put the entire 112 series of numbers out of use, given that many kinds of switchboards automatically switch based on the last number dialled. Also, what is the definition of an emergency service telephone number?

[Separatist Peoples]

OOC: Yes, it's almost like the author was reading selectively... *eyeroll*

My earlier suggestion too:

OOC: The author is preoccupied with other matters IRL and hasn't gotten around to updating any of his drafts yet.

Ooc: unacceptable and unreasonable. Responding to strangers pretending to be ambassadors on an internet game about law needs to be your top priority.